PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher outlines challenges facing police force to MPs

The PSNI chief constable has told MPs how a bakery in Northern Ireland is paying more per hour than what new recruits to the police force get.

He made the comments at the Northern Ireland Affairs committee where Jon Boutcher outlined the many challenges facing the PSNI.

He discussed the recent major data breach which saw all officers and civilian staff details published online in error.

He also spoke about the budgetary pressures facing the force. He pointed out that while officers in England had received a pay rise, those in Northern Ireland were still waiting, despite them facing unique challenges not seen by most officers in other parts of the UK.

Mr Boutcher said the PSNI response to a major data breach will not be fudged. He also said that the ultimate financial costs of the leak to the force are “not known”. In August the details of almost 9,500 PSNI officers and staff were mistakenly published in response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request. The list included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit in which they work. Police later said the information is in the hands of dissident republicans. The PSNI has previously indicated that the data breach could potentially cost the force £240million in security and legal costs The controversy contributed to the resignation of then-chief constable Simon Byrne and led the PSNI and Policing Board to commission a review. On Monday, the review, headed by Pete O’Doherty, temporary commissioner at the City of London Police, made 37 recommendations. It said the breach was the consequence of the service not seizing opportunities to secure and protect its internal information and pointed to a “siloed approach” to information management functions. Mr Boutcher told MPs that “every police force in the country needs to read this report and understand the recommendations and apply our learning to their own organisation”. He said: “There is a culture in policing, that is extremely nervous about cloud-based solutions technology-wise and we need to explore with partners how we can address some of those failings that have been identified in the report. “What I can promise you is this isn’t going to be fudged, we’re not going to shy away from this. We will progress it but we have to do it within the context of the current financial envelope.” Mr Boutcher said he cannot currently give an estimate of the cost of implementing the 37 recommendations made in the independent review. “I can’t give you a clear figure at the moment but it’s something that we are seeking to determine,” he said. Temporary deputy Chief Constable Chris Todd said a bid for preliminary costs of “around £30 million” had been submitted, but there would be “additional costs”. “Our bid that was negotiated with the Treasury went through for around 30 million and that’s still being worked through parts of it. We did have some promising news just last week but it’s still a work in progress. “But it’s fair to say the report has highlighted some additional requirements which weren’t in that original estimate … so there will be some additional costs.” On the budget pressures, the chief constable said the PSNI would be forced to stop providing assistance to other forces and looking after people with mental health issues in hospitals.

He told the committee that if the number of officers in the region falls below 6,000 by 2025, then the policing situation would become “untenable”. The chief constable told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that his officers had recently travelled to London to provide assistance with public order situations as well as providing water cannon to the Garda following rioting in Dublin. The service is facing a budget shortfall of £52.5 million this financial year – a figure that includes funds needed to introduce a 7% pay rise. The recommended officer number for the PSNI is 7,500, but the current number of officers is around 6,300. Mr Boutcher said: “With what we have recently in the Middle East, the PSNI, because we are very experienced in this space, have been sending over PSUs (police support units), officers to deal with the protests that you’ve seen in London in recent weeks. “We are sort of the first port of call because of the experience of our officers. “Londoners will have seen the green uniforms of the PSNI dealing with that protest. “When the Metropolitan Police have an issue with regard to firearms, which they have had recently with regard to a couple of incidents with firearm officers facing sanction with regards to their actions, it is the PSNI which is the first port of call because we are an armed service and we are experienced in dealing with these issues. “We provide a level of resilience with regards to mainstream policing because of our specialist skills. “We will get to a position, because of the numbers, where we simply won’t be able to do that.” He added: “Equally, when we saw the disturbances in Dublin recently I reached out to the commissioner of An Garda Siochana. We are able to provide support to them with regards to what they were facing. “That support reassured officers, with the water cannon, that the commissioner was there for them and they were getting the kit they needed to deal with any challenges they may face on subsequent nights. It sent a message to people how they would be dealt with. “There are a lot of elements of what the PSNI do, almost unseen, that we won’t be able to do moving forward.” Mr Boutcher also spoke about the number of officers who sit with mental health patients in hospitals while doctors are dealing with other patients. He said: “You get to a position where there are more police cars sitting in the accident and emergency car park than there are patrolling the streets and responding to 999 calls. “Those sorts of decisions have been made by me about how we are going to have to reduce those services.” He said the force would have to prioritise fighting crime. “That doesn’t include looking after people in hospitals. There will have to be other provisions made for that.” Mr Boutcher said if funding issues continue without relief, the force would have to come up with a new policing model. He said: “We will understand where every single resource in the PSNI is. “We have already started this work to redesign an operating model to work with 6,358 officers at the end of March, below 6,000 officers at the beginning of 2025, which is untenable. “We will be having some very difficult conversations with people. “That includes when we get the call from other organisations like the Met to help, we simply won’t have the resources to send to them.”

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