Since he was appointed chief constable last year, Jon Boutcher has consistently emphasised that the PSNI is at breaking point. The organisation, he says, is exhausted, with neither enough money nor enough officers.
PSNI sickness levels vividly reflect this. At the end of last month, just over 10% of officers - 661 out of 6,340 - were absent due to illness. That is clearly unsustainable, particularly when almost 500 of those are described as being long-term sick; 357 of those absent are off with mental ill health.
We should be in no doubt about the lethal nature of this stress and sickness crisis. Mr Boutcher, in a recent letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said two officers had died by suicide, with their families “directly attributing the reason for their deaths to work pressures in the PSNI”.
- UUP’s problems won’t be solved by another change of leader - The Irish News viewOpens in new window
- Politicians must rise above negativity and seize opportunities of Maze Long Kesh site - The Irish News viewOpens in new window
- Every pressure must be brought to bear to end suffering in Gaza - The Irish News viewOpens in new window
Further context on the PSNI’s sick leave has been provided by our reporting, which shows its absence levels are more than three times as high as those in police forces in England and Wales.
The recent spate of disgraceful rioting and violence linked to the pathetic anti-immigration protests further cranked up the pressure on the PSNI, with more than 20 officers injured. Police Scotland has sent around 80 of its officers to assist the PSNI.
During a visit on Monday to meet with the injured officers and representatives of the minority ethnic communities targeted in the attacks, the prime minister said he had held discussions with Mr Boutcher about the PSNI’s “resourcing and capability”.
The PSNI’s decline is yet another example of how our public services have been steadily eroded by Stormont’s inertia, as exemplified by the embarrassing failure to produce a programme for government
In reality, Sir Keir was offering little more than platitudes because he was quick to add that in his view, addressing these challenges was a devolved issue.
Nonetheless, it is telling that Mr Boutcher has felt the need to go directly to the prime minister to make the case for additional resources for the PSNI, which he has said will face £140 million budget pressures this year and needs around 1,700 more officers.
He plainly feels that policing is not being properly supported by the Stormont executive. Justice minister Naomi Long has yet to secure any significant funding to meet the shortfalls that Mr Boutcher is so candid about.
The political parties will make positive noises about the importance of policing but are doing precious little about it. The PSNI’s decline is yet another example of how our public services have been steadily eroded by Stormont’s inertia, as exemplified by the embarrassing failure to produce a programme for government.
The PSNI and its officers deserve better, but as the glee with which some have sought to exploit the Armagh flag episode in Camlough shows, there are those for whom political point scoring is more important than a level-headed approach to policing.
