Photograph: Peter Morrison/PA WireA new plan is expected to increase the target number of police officers in Northern Ireland to more than 7,500. It comes as Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer numbers dropped to 6,190 last summer, well below the target number of 7,500 set in the Patten Report in 1999. Chief constable Jon Boutcher has created a recovery plan that aims to boost officer numbers to 7,000 by 2028. “We actually had our lowest number of officers just before the summer, we had 6,190,” he said. “The business case for the recovery plan was based on our starting figure being 6,350, so we’re behind where it needs to be.

Source: The Irish Times January 02, 2026 03:04 UTC