Debate contribution: Policing Resources

Debate contribution by Mrs Linda Dillon on 25 November 2025.

MLA

Mrs Linda Dillon

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

25 November 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Policing Resources

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5259199

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Although resourcing pressures absolutely and undeniably affect policing capacity, the debate cannot simply be about the numbers of police and staff. It must also be about how priorities are set, how responsibilities are shared and how the wider system responds to vulnerability, risk and harm, as the Member who spoke previously outlined. The ombudsman's report on the handling of the case of the high-profile child sex offender Alexander McCartney was deeply alarming. Members have spoken about the fact that there were at least two deaths as a result of how the case was handled. Those are only the children and young people whom we know about, however. Many children and young people whom we will never know about were affected by the actions of Alexander McCartney. Our thoughts therefore need to be with all those families. That case highlighted not only the gaps in PSNI capacity but the consequences when risk is not managed effectively. There were serious delays in the case's being fully investigated, because the PSNI made choices about the use of resources, choosing to prioritise organised crime and paramilitarism over violence against women and children. The report's findings carry profound implications for the safeguarding of children and for our collective ambition to tackle violence against women and children. The PSNI had a strategy in place, so, in fairness to it, it was ahead of the curve. It had a strategy for tackling violence against women and girls before the Executive and the Assembly had one, but from such a strategy must flow the prioritisation of resources, and that is not what happened in that case. If we are serious about addressing the challenges, I recognise that we need to take a cross-departmental approach, because policing alone cannot solve societal failures. The PSNI cannot continue to pick up from the point at which other services have failed and be expected to respond to everything: people's mental health crises; children in care in distress; people with acute vulnerabilities; and gaps left by overstretched Departments and services. Although the PSNI must always be available to ensure that people are kept safe, the Right Care, Right Person approach must be fully implemented to ensure the best outcome for all our people. When they need help, the right person must respond to those individuals. The Right Care, Right Person model must ensure that the right professional, not just the available professional, responds to the issue in hand, and that places a responsibility on the Department of Health and the Department of Education. In fact, it places a responsibility on every one of our Departments. A child in a foster care placement who is struggling should be met first by a social worker, not by a police officer. A person who is in mental health distress should be met with clinical expertise, not with a uniform. Yes, it is about resources, but it is not only about resources. It is about how those resources are used and allocated. It is about ensuring that we do not default to the police when it is other agencies that should be leading. The Department of Justice must lead on a collective vision for policing and justice. That vision must recognise that harm occurs across systems, that responses must be joined up and that resourcing pressures are not limited to the PSNI. Given the rise in mental health-related cases, the rise in neurodiverse people coming into contact with the system and the rise in increasingly complex investigations, the Office of the Police Ombudsman also requires the capacity and specialist support to carry out its vital work. Proper oversight is not a luxury but an essential part of creating public confidence. Our amendment rebalances the conversation. It recognises that, although funding is crucial, we must work towards taking a smarter, more coordinated and more humane approach: one that keeps women and girls safe, supports vulnerable people and ensures that policing is focused on where it makes the greatest difference. We will not be supporting the UUP amendment, and not because there is anything wrong with it. It is a good amendment, with which we have no issue, but our amendment is important, as it is about accountability and how the finite resources that are available to the PSNI are used. During Members' statements this morning, Members across the Chamber talked about how today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. If they mean what they say, they should support our amendment. I ask that everybody in the House support it.

755 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:57 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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