Ex-police officer Jon Burrows vividly recalls the startling moment over ten years ago when he was informed that a letter bomb addressed to him had been intercepted. As a district commander for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) at the time, Burrows was in Derry’s Strand Road police station canteen in October 2013 when this shocking news was relayed to him by a coworker.
His memories are still fresh as if it was yesterday, the former high-ranking officer finds it difficult to put into words the intense emotion he felt upon discovering the viable package, sent by insurgent Republicans. The device was primed to detonate the moment the letter would have been opened. “There is an indescribable feeling of numbness and surrealism, the reality that someone meticulously planned to end your life is very hard to comprehend,” Burrows discloses, his voice trembling as he spoke.
Last week, the PSNI disclosed figures indicating an escalating trend in attacks against its personnel over the past half-decade, averaging around eight each day.
Daily incidents reported by PSNI officers on duty vary from physical assaults such as headbutting, punching, kicking to attacks with projectiles. In the fiscal year 2022/23, the official count of incidents was 3,272, an increase when compared to 2,709 in 2018/19.
Injuries resultant from physical attacks documented a surge of 55% in four years, with 971 injuries noted last year.
One female officer stated that she was seeing “stars” after she was headbutted by a male suspect during his escort to the police holding facilities in Newry, County Down, last December.
Almost three decades after the Belfast Agreement which ended the Troubles era why are we witnessing an alarming surge in such incidents during peaceful times?
For Burrows, who earlier in his policing career in England painfully experienced a fracture in his hand during the apprehension of a motorbike thief, believes the rise in these incidents lies predominantly in the hesitations of enforcement officers fearing potential disciplinary actions if they respond with force in self-defence.
“There was a time when handcuffing an aggressive perpetrator early on wasn’t an issue,” he comments. “Today, lacking a sense of empowerment and authority, the police are fearful of making quick and assertive decisions, even when such actions are provided for by the law. Across the nation, the anticipation of the Ombudsman’s potential criticism has held cops back. In most cases, they feel they must first be attacked before having the right to defend themselves.”
The concern goes beyond Northern Ireland, states Burrows, a former member of the Metropolitan Police for half a decade. After his stint in the metro, he served a 17-year tenure in Northern Ireland’s PSNI, retiring last year. “The Southern guards also speak of anxiety over misconduct and the dread of disciplinary measures,” he notes.
“Being accountable and scrutinised is positive, but cops have undergone exceedingly prolonged investigations following the use of force,” Burrows expands. Even if proved innocent, the clearing process can spill into years.
The Police Federation’s leading figure for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly agrees that an increasing fear of disciplinary procedures is a significant reason for the significant surge in recorded injuries. Kelly disapproves of the lax sentencing for assault on officers, remarking on the lack of deterrent this creates.
Kelly welcomed reforms proposed by the North’s Justice Minister, Naomi Long, but called for swift action as the freeze on PSNI officer recruitment continues, and numbers falter. “In certain situations, officers opt to wait until they are attacked before responding. This is not an advisable tactic,” Kelly asserts.
Kelly refers to a notorious case from three years ago, where two junior PSNI officers were disciplined for an arrest at a commemoration event in Ormeau Road, Belfast. This ruling, branding their actions as unlawful, was instrumental in PSNI’s former chief constable Simon Byrne’s resignation. Similarly, it added to the rising concerns among the police force. “There are instances where things don’t go as planned. Sometimes, officers cross the line and require disciplinary action. We acknowledge that,” Kelly concurred.
In today’s culture of fear within the force, officers often anticipate investigations and lack of support from their superiors, causing them to hesitate. This reluctance often results in them suffering from assaults and significant injuries. Kelly, who has analysed data detailing the levels of assaults on officers within England, Scotland, and Wales police forces, and compared them to Northern Ireland’s PSNI.
Out of the 150,000 police officers in England and Wales, approximately 40,000 reported being assaulted last year. With nearly 17,000 officers, Scotland recorded 6,000 attacks within the same time frame. The PSNI, with a force of around 6,500 officers, reported 3,772 incidents, indicating that Northern Ireland has the highest rate of assault, says Kelly. Alarmingly, nearly half of its entire force report being assaulted while on duty. This daunting scenario has made attacks on officers seem like an expected occupational hazard.
The attacks’ psychological toll on the officers is alarming, an issue that is frequently brought up. Following a letter bomb attack, Burrows recalls, he developed a heightened sense of vigilance about his safety, an undeniable symptom of PTSD. He describes a suffocating life with no respite, surrounded by armoured glass, commuting in an armoured car, and living within a fortified home.
In Northern Ireland, the unique situation even affects officers off duty. The constant need to be on guard persists as the threats faced at work are carried 24/7. This constant pressure is a distinctive aspect of policing in this region.
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