Police Service of Northern Ireland

"PSNI" redirects here. For other uses, see PSNI (disambiguation).

Police Service of Northern Ireland
The Service Emblem
The Service Emblem
AbbreviationPSNI
MottoKeeping People Safe
Agency overview
Formed4 November 2001; 23 years ago (2001-11-04)
Preceding agency
Annual budget£836.7M (FY 2014/15)[1]
Legal personalityPolice service
Jurisdictional structure
National agencyNorthern Ireland
Operations jurisdictionNorthern Ireland
Police Service of Northern Ireland area
Size14,130 km2 (5,460 sq mi)[2]
Population1,903,175 [3]
Governing bodyNorthern Ireland Executive
Constituting instrument
General nature
Operational structure
Overseen byNorthern Ireland Policing Board
HeadquartersBelfast[4]
Police officers6422
Police staffs2,297
Agency executives
  • Jon Boutcher, Chief Constable
  • Position vacant, Deputy Chief Constable
  • Pamela McCreedy, Chief Operating Officer
Departments
12
  • Crime Operations Department
  • Criminal Justice Department
  • Human Resources Department
  • Department of Media and Public Relations
  • Professional Standards Department
  • Search and Rescue Team
  • Crime Support Department
  • Finance and Support Services
  • Legal Services Department
  • Operational Support Department
  • Rural Region
  • Urban Region
Regions8 (11 District)
Facilities
Stations32[5]
WatercraftsYes
Aircraft3 helicopters
1 fixed-wing
Dogs28[6]
Website
www.psni.police.uk Edit this at Wikidata
Law enforcement
in the United Kingdom
Topics
Equipment
Types of agency
Types of agent
Concepts
Acts
Statutory instruments

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; Irish: Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann;[7] Ulster-Scots: Polis Service o Norlin Airlan), is the police service responsible for law enforcement and the prevention of crime within Northern Ireland.

It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it was reformed and renamed in 2001 on the recommendation of the Patten Report.[8][9][10][11]

The PSNI is the third largest police service in the United Kingdom in terms of officer numbers (after the Metropolitan Police and Police Scotland) and the second largest in terms of geographic area of responsibility, after Police Scotland. The PSNI is approximately half the size of Garda Síochána in terms of officer numbers.

  1. ^ "Funding in focus as Board approves PSNI Budget". NI Policing Board. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  2. ^ ONS Geography (8 January 2016). "The Countries of the UK". Office for National Statistics. Office for National Statistics (United Kingdom). Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Police Service of Northern Ireland". nidirect. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  5. ^ Police Service of Northern Ireland (December 2021). Locations of Police Stations (Report). Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Freedom of Information Request : Police Dogs Owned and/or Used by PSNI" (PDF). Psni.police.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  7. ^ "Faisnéis as Gaeilge faoi Sheirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann" (PDF). Police Service of Northern Ireland (in Irish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2009.
  8. ^ Russell, Deacon (2012). Devolution in the United Kingdom. Edinburgh University Press. p. 218. ISBN 978-0748669738.
  9. ^ "PSNI rehiring must be transparent". 3 October 2012. Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  10. ^ "Management of An Garda Síochána". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  11. ^ Gillespie, Gordon (2009). The A to the Z of the Northern Ireland Conflict. Scarecrow Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0810870451. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2021.