CAIN: Northern Ireland Society - Security and Defence

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Background Information on Northern Ireland Society
- Security and Defence

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Page Compiled: Martin Melaugh, Brendan Lynn (and F. McKenna; 1996-2000)
Material is added to this site on a regular basis - information on this page may change

Security and Defence

This section provides some brief background information on the security situation in Northern Ireland, mainly during the period of the conflict. This section only covers information about crime or violence in relation to the political conflict.

Summary

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) came into being on 4 November 2001 with a change to the name of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

The former police force in Northern Ireland, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), was established on 1 June 1922. Up until March 1970 the size of the RUC never exceeded 3,500 members, but this was reassessed in the light of 'the Troubles', and membership of the RUC stood at 8,489 when it was replaced by the PSNI. Its total expenditure for the 1994-1995 financial year was £601.1 million. For the financial year 2001/02 a sum of £658.8 million was allocated for police services in Northern Ireland.

The RUC had always been composed mainly from members of the Protestant community. In 1992, only 7.78 per cent of the full-time force were Catholic, and an even smaller percentage than this could be found in the reserve forces.

In May 1996, the Government published a White Paper containing specific proposals for reform of policing structures, aimed at making the force more fair, impartial and accountable. Chris Patten produced a report containing recommendations for the police service in Northern Ireland. The report was published in September 1999 and an Updated Implementation Plan 2001 was published on 17 August 2001. The report called for sweeping changes to the RUC's name, badge, structure, ethos, and recruitment procedures.

The Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) came into existence in Northern Ireland on 1 April 1970, as a direct consequence of the proposals of the Hunt Report. In effect, the force was a replacement for the all-Protestant Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) or 'B Specials', and their role was to provide support for the regular police force. Initially, the UDR had up to 18 per cent Catholic membership, but by 1991, this figure had fallen dramatically to only 3 per cent.

The Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) was formed on 1 July 1992 as a result of the merger of the Royal Irish Rangers and the Ulster Defence Regiment. The new regiment is made up of one General Service battalion, liable to serve worldwide, and six Home Service battalions which only serve in Northern Ireland. The total strength of the home-based battalions remains broadly the same as the former strength of the UDR and continues to include both part-time and full-time soldiers. At the end of 1994 it employed some 5,500 individuals, with 3,000 being full-time and 2,500 part time soldiers.

In 1969 the British Army was deployed on the streets of Northern Ireland. It was welcomed at first by the Catholic community, but this attitude was short-lived. The number of British soldiers present in Northern Ireland fluctuated, in response to the security situation. The figures peaked in 1972, when it reached over 30,000. By 1994, this figure stood at 18,500. Subsequent to the IRA ceasefire of 1994, this figure was reduced to 17,000. As of the end of 2001 this figure had fallen further to around 13,000. Following the ending of Operation Banner (August 1969 to July 2007) troop levels were reduced to 5,000.

Sources:

The following tables provide details of the security situation in Northern Ireland. The information is mainly based on published official statistics. At the bottom of each table is a full list of sources but the main sources for this section were:
Police Constable's Annual Report;
PSNI Statistics Branch website: http://www.psni.police.uk/index/departments/statistics_branch.htm ;
Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics;
Irish Almanac and Yearbook of Facts; and
"A Partnership for Change", A Report on Further Consultation by the Police Authority for Northern Ireland.

List of Tables

Table NI-SEC-01: Strength (number) of the RUC / PSNI, and the UDR / RIR, 1938, 1971 to 2010-11
Table NI-SEC-02: Strength of Police Service (actual number FTE), 1 October 2018, and Establishment and Actual Strength (number) of PSNI, as at 19 June 2003
Old Table: The ranks of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), 2001 and 1995
Table NI-SEC-16: Percentage of PSNI police officers perceived to be Catholic (before, during, and after the Patten 50:50 recruitment policy), 1990 - 2019 (discontinuous)
Table NI-SEC-03: British Army personnel (number) in Northern Ireland, 1969 to 2004 (incomplete)
Table NI-SEC-04: Persons killed (number) due to the security situation in Northern Ireland (only), 1969-2002
Table NI-SEC-05: Persons injured (number) due to the security situation in Northern Ireland (only), 1969 to 2003
Table NI-SEC-06: Security related incidents (number) in Northern Ireland (only), shootings, bombings, and incendiaries, 1969 to 2003
Table NI-SEC-07: Firearms, and explosive finds in Northern Ireland (only), 1969-2003
Table NI-SEC-08: Armed robberies, 1969 to 2001-02
Table NI-SEC-09: Number of people charged with terrorist and other serious offences (numbers), 1969-2003
Table NI-SEC-10: Number of persons charged with terrorist and serious public order offences by paramilitary grouping, 2000-2003
Table NI-SEC-11: Casualties (numbers) as a result of paramilitary 'punishment' attacks in Northern Ireland, 1973-2009 (Calendar Year), and 2010/11-2017/18 (Financial Year)
Table NI-SEC-12: Parade statistics (numbers), 2002 and 2001
Table NI-SEC-13: Outcomes of complaints (numbers) against the police, during 2002-03
Old Table: Outcomes of Complaints against the Police Completed during 2001/02
Old Table: Public Attitudes to Policing: Results of a survey taken September 1996
Old Table: Public Attitudes on the performance of Local Police, 1994 and 1996
Table NI-SEC-14: Deaths from the conflict in Northern Ireland (1969-2001), and total population (2001), at Ward level, ranked from highest Deaths.
Table NI-SEC-15: Death Rate (and Deaths) from the conflict in Northern Ireland (1969-2001), and total population (2001), at Ward level, ranked from highest Death Rate.

The following are links to other pages of interest on the CAIN server:
Statistics on deaths from the conflict
A chronological list of major violent incidents in Northern Ireland, from 1971-1994
A list of significant violent incidents during 'the Troubles'

The Tables

Table NI-SEC-01: Strength (number) of the RUC / PSNI, and the UDR / RIR, 1938, 1971 to 2010-11
Year	RUC / PSNI Total 1	RUC / PSNI Males	RUC / PSNI Females	RUC / PSNI Reserve Total	RUC / PSNI Reserve Full-Time	RUC / PSNI Reserve Part-Time	UDR / RIR Total	UDR / RIR Full-Time	UDR / RIR Part-Time
1938	*2820*	2820	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1971	4086	3942	144	1284	-	1284	323	323	-
1972	4257	4078	179	2134	153	1981	844	844	-
1973	4391	4172	219	2514	290	2224	7894	817	7077
1974	4565	4283	282	3860	510	3350	7702	1290	6412
1975	4902	4549	353	4819	661	4158	7765	1531	6234
1976	5253	4811	442	4697	870	3827	7668	1630	6038
1977	5692	5140	552	4686	1002	3684	7843	2035	5808
1978	6110	5495	615	4608	1188	3420	7744	2407	5337
1979	6614	5938	676	4513	1304	3209	7414	2530	4884
1980	6935	6224	711	4752	1685	3067	7259	2412	4847
1981	7334	6622	712	4870	2060	2810	7294	2745	4549
1982	7718	7017	701	4840	2174	2666	7111	2793	4318
1983	8003	7328	675	4493	2295	2198	6925	2690	4235
1984	8127	7487	640	4439	2532	1907	6468	2689	3779
1985	8259	7610	649	4508	2755	1753	6494	2755	3739
1986	8234	7581	653	4414	2754	1660	6408	2672	3736
1987	8236	7591	645	4650	2991	1659	6531	2785	3746
1988	8227	7568	659	4649	2993	1656	6393	2858	3535
1989	8259	7571	688	4623	3018	1605	6230	2947	3283
1990	8243	7535	708	4544	2990	1554	6043	2955	3088
1991	8222	7514	708	4560	3042	1518	6276	3277	2999
1992	8478	7687	791	4593	3160	1433	5417	2797	2620
1993	8464	7646	818	4572	3184	1388	5412	2902	2510
1994	8493	7640	853	4690	3199	1491	5241	2956	2285
1995	8440	7541	899	4419	2938	1481	n/a	n/a	n/a
1996	8428	7531	897	4402	2929	1473	n/a	n/a	n/a
1997	8485	7562	923	4306	2982	1324	n/a	n/a	n/a
1997-98 2	8505	7580	925	4274	2975	1299	n/a	n/a	n/a
1998-99	8496	7534	962	4079	2862	1217	n/a	n/a	n/a
1999-00	8393	7406	987	3840	2688	1152	n/a	n/a	n/a
2000-01	7894	6916	978	3365	2293	1072	n/a	n/a	n/a
2001-02	6976	6058	918	3185	2184	1001	n/a	n/a	n/a
2002-03 3	6940	5908	1032	2733	1804	929	n/a	n/a	n/a
2003-04	7212	6027	1185	2436	1572	864	n/a	n/a	n/a
2004-05	7233	5940	1293	2309	1366	943	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005-06	7299	5875	1424	1841	1015	826	n/a	n/a	n/a
2006-07	7314	5789	1525	1634	751	883	n/a	n/a	n/a
2007-08 4	7267	5674	1593	1501	664	837
2008-09	7203	5539	1664	1275	515	760
2009-10	7183	5411	1772	1085	382	703
2010-11	7020	5210	1810	880	229	651
Notes:
1. The Royal Ulster Constabulary became the Police Service of Northern Ireland on 4 November 2001
2. From 1 April 1998 the RUC compiled and published its statistics on a financial year basis (31 March)
3. From 2002-03 figures exclude those on secondments and those student officers who have yet to graduate
4. The British Army's 'Operation Banner' ended in July 2007 when troops returned to barracks
PSNI - Police Service of Northern Ireland
RUC - Royal Ulster Constabulary
UDR - Ulster Defence Regiment (A regiment of the British Army recruited in Northern Ireland. Formed on 1 April 1970. Mergered with Royal Irish Rangers in July 1992.)
RIR - Royal Irish Regiment (Established from the merger of the UDR and the Royal Irish Rangers in July 1992)
n/a - Figures not available
Sources:
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). (2001) Chief Constable's Annual Report, 2000/01.
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). (2003) Chief Constable's Annual Report, 2002/03.
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (2002). Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics, 1999 and 2002 (and 1989, 1995)
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Table NI-SEC-02: Strength of Police Service (actual number FTE), 1 October 2018, and Establishment and Actual Strength (number) of PSNI, as at 19 June 2003
	1 Oct 2018	19 Jun 2003
Badges of Rank	Actual	Establishment	Actual
Chief Constable	1	1	1
Deputy Chief Constable	1	1	1
Assistant Chief Constable	5	6	6
Chief Superintendent	13	35	31
Superintendent	46	68	78
Chief Inspector	89	138	131
Inspector	329	409	390
Sergeant	967	1167	1123
Constable	5017	5675	5261
Student Officer	109	-	-
Total Regular Officers	6577	7500	7219
Constable Part-Time	279	-	-
Full-time Reserve		1684	1746
Part-time Reserve		2500	903
Notes:
PSNI - Police Service of Northern Ireland
Sources:
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). (2018). Strength of Police Service Statistics, (1 October 2018); https://www.psni.police.uk/inside-psni/Statistics/strength-of-police-service-statistics/
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). (2003). Actual Strength of the PSNI as of 19/06/03; http://www.psni.police.uk/index/departments/statistics_branch/pg_stats_strength_of_police.htm
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Ranks of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, 1995 and 2001

Rank	Effective Strength 2001¹ (number)	Establishment 1995 (number)
Chief Constable	1	1
Deputy Chief Constable	1	2
Assistant Chief Constable	4	9
Chief Superintendent / Superintendent	124	42
Chief Inspector	150	167
Inspector	433	491
Sergeant	1,278	1,414
Constable	5,819	6,243
Total Regulars:	7,810	8,489

RUC Reserve Full-Time	2,496	3,202
RUC Reserve Part-Time	1,073	1,765
Civilian Staff Full-Time	2,971	-
Civilian Staff Part-Time	454	-

Notes:
1. Does not include secondments; as at 31 March 2001
Sources:
Royal Ulster Constabulary Chief Constable's Annual Report, 2001
Irish Almanac and Yearbook, 1997

Percentage of PSNI police officers perceived to be Catholic (before, during, and after the Patten 50:50 recruitment policy¹), 1990 - 2019 (discontinuous ²), [Data from table below].

Percentage of Catholic Police Officers, 1990-2018

Table NI-SEC-16: Percentage of PSNI police officers perceived to be Catholic (before, during, and after the Patten 50:50 recruitment policy ¹), 1990 - 2019 (discontinuous ²)
Date	Percentage Catholic Officers	Source of data	% Catholic Population ³
1990	7.75%	Hansard
1991	7.72%	Hansard	41.5%
1992	7.78%	Hansard
1998 (31 Dec)	8.0%	RUC; Patten Report (table 12)
23 Nov 2000 50:50 recruitment begins
2001 (Sep)	8.23%	NIO 2010
2001	8.1%	ECNI, Monitoring Return	43.76%
2002	8.4%	ECNI, Monitoring Return
2003	10.5%
2005	12.3%	ECNI, Monitoring Return
2006 (1 Apr)	19.49%
2007 (Mar)	21.43%	NIO 2010
2010 (1 Mar)	27.88%	NIO 2010
28 March 2011 50:50 recruitment ends
2011 (May)	30.3%		45.14%
2012 (1 Nov)	30.41%	PSNI; Internet Archive
2013 (1 May)	30.63%
2014 (4 Mar)	30.79%	PSNI; Internet Archive
2015 (16 Feb)	30.74%
2016	30.4%	ECNI, Monitoring Return
2017 (1 Nov)	31.50%	PSNI Workforce Composition Statistics
2018 (1 Jul)	32.1%	PSNI Workforce Composition Statistics
2019 (1 May)	32.16%	PSNI Workforce Composition Statistics
Notes:
1. The policy of recruiting Catholic and Protestand police officers on a 50:50 basis was one of the recommendations of the Patten Report (1999).
2. Data on perceived religion has been obtained from the various sources (listed in the table alongside the relevant figure). (In the accompanying chart above the line representing the percentage of Catholic officers has been drawn between known points. Missing years are assumed to have been close to this line.)
3. Estimate of Catholic population based on Table NI-REL-02.
4. The data in this table is presented to accompany the Chart above.
Sources:
Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI). (Annual). Monitoring Returns. Belfast: ECNI. <https://www.equalityni.org/Publications>
Hansard. (1993). Written Answers, Royal Ulster Constabulary, HC Deb 26 January 1993 vol 217 cc660-9W. London: HC. <https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1993/jan/26/royal-ulster-constabulary>
Independent Commission on Policing in Northern Ireland. (1999). A New Beginning: Policing in Northern Ireland - The Report of the Independent Commission on Policing in Northern Ireland, [Patten Report]., (9 September 1999). Belfast: ICPNI. <http://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/police/patten/patten99.pdf>
Internet Archive WayBack Machine. (2018). RUC and PSNI archived webpages. <https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://ruc.police.uk/>
Northern Ireland Office. (NIO). (2010). Explanatory Memorandum to Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 (Renewal of Temporary Provisions) Order 2010. 2010 No. 112. London: NIO. <http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2010/112/pdfs/nisrem_20100112_en.pdf>
PSNI. (Annual). PSNI Workforce Composition Statistics. Belfast: PSNI. <https://www.psni.police.uk/inside-psni/Statistics/workforce-composition-statistics/>
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Table NI-SEC-03: British Army Personnel (number) in Northern Ireland, 1969 to 2005 (incomplete)
Year	British Army Total	British Regiments	UDR / RIR Total	UDR / RIR Full-Time	UDR / RIR Part-Time
1969 (Jun)	2700	2700
1970 (Jan)	8100	6300	1800
1971	11800	7800	4000
1972	22800	14300	8500
1972 (Jul)	30300	21800	8500
1973 (Jan)	26000	16900	9100
1974	23900	16200	7700
1975	22700	15000	7700
1976	22800	15100	7700
1977	21900	14300	7600
1978	22200	14400	7800
1979	21200	13600	7600
1980	19300	11900	7400
1981	19100	11600	7500
1982	18011	10900	7111	2793	4318
1983	17125	10200	6925	2690	4235
1984	16468	10000	6468	2689	3779
1985	16194	9700	6494	2755	3739
1986	16908	10500	6408	2672	3736
1987	17931	11400	6531	2785	3746
1988	17593	11200	6393	2858	3535
1989	17430	11200	6230	2947	3283
1990			6043	2955	3088
1991			6276	3277	2999
1992	17417	12000	5417	2797	2620
1993			5412	2902	2510
1994 (Jul)	19500		5241	2956	2285
1995
1996
1997
1998	15500	10500	5000	3000	2000
1999	15500	11150	4350	2500	1850
2000 (Jun)	13500
2001	13000
2002	13681
2003	13311
2004	12658
2005 (31 Jul)	10083
2007 (31 Jul)¹	5000¹
Notes:
1. The MOD confirmed on 28 March 2006 the major troop reductions to the planned level of no more than 5,000 by 31 Jul 07.
UDR - Ulster Defence Regiment (A regiment of the British Army recruited in Northern Ireland, 1 April 1970 to 1 July 1992)
RIR - Royal Irish Regiment (Established from the merger of the UDR and the Royal Irish Rangers on 1 July 1992)
This information on British Army troop levels is incomplete, it is hoped to be able to complete the table in the future.
Sources:
Hadfield, B. (ed.) (1992) 'Northern Ireland: Politics and the Constitution'. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Ireland Almanac and Yearbook of Facts, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics, 1994
Various press reports.
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Table NI-SEC-04: Deaths (number) due to the security situation in Northern Ireland (only), 1969-2015
Year	Police¹	Police Reserve²	British Army	UDR / RIR³	Civilian	Totals
1969 ⁴	1	0	0	0	13	14
1970	2	0	0	0	23	25
1971	11	0	43	5	115	174
1972	14	3	105	26	322	470
1973	10	3	58	8	173	252
1974	12	3	30	7	168	220
1975	7	4	14	6	216	247
1976	13	10	14	15	245	297
1977	8	6	15	14	69	112
1978	4	6	14	7	50	81
1979	9	5	38	10	51	113
1980	3	6	8	9	50	76
1981	13	8	10	13	57	101
1982	8	4	21	7	57	97
1983	9	9	5	10	44	77
1984	7	2	9	10	36	64
1985	14	9	2	4	26	55
1986	10	2	4	8	37	61
1987	9	7	3	8	68	95
1988	4	2	21	12	55	94
1989	7	2	12	2	39	62
1990	7	5	7	8	49	76
1991	5	1	5	8	75	94
1992	2	1	4	2	76	85
1993	3	3	6	2	70	84
1994	3	0	1	2	56	62
1995	1	0	0	0	8	9
1996	0	0	1	0	14	15
1997	3	1	1	0	17	22
1998	1	0	1	0	53	55
1999	0	0	0	0	7	7
2000	0	0	0	0	18	18
2001	0	0	0	0	17	17
2002	0	0	0	0	13	13
2003	0	0	0	0	11	11
2004	0	0	0	0	5	5
2005	0	0	0	0	5	5
2006	0	0	0	0	3	3
2007	0	0	0	0	3	3
2008	0	0	0	0	1	1
2009	1	0	2	0	2	5
2010	0	0	0	0	2	2
2011	1	0	0	0	0	1
2012	0	0	0	0	2	2
2013	0	0	0	0	1	1
2014	0	0	0	0	2	2
2015	0	0	0	0	2	2
Grand Total	202	102	454	203	2426	3387
Notes:
1. Includes Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) / Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)
2. Includes Royal Ulster Constabulary / Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve.
3. Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) / Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) (Home Service Battalions).
4. Statistics for 1969 deaths are for the period August to December only.
Sources:
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). (2017). Deaths due to the Security Situation in Northern Ireland 1969-2015 (By Calendar Year), https://www.psni.police.uk/inside-psni/Statistics/security-situation-statistics/
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). (2003) Deaths due to the Security Situation in Northern Ireland 1969-2003 (By Calendar Year); http://www.psni.police.uk/index/departments/statistics_branch.htm
Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics 2002; Table 6.3
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Table NI-SEC-05: Persons injured (number) due to the security situation in Northern Ireland (only), 1969 to 2003
Year	Police ¹	Army	UDR / RIR ²	Civilian	Totals
1968	379	0	n/a	n/a	379
1969	711	54	n/a	n/a	765
1970	191	620	n/a	n/a	811
1971	315	381	9	1,887	2,592
1972	485	542	36	3,813	4,876
1973	291	525	23	1,812	2,651
1974	235	453	30	1,680	2,398
1975	263	151	16	2,044	2,474
1976	303	242	22	2,162	2,729
1977	183	172	15	1,017	1,387
1978	302	127	8	548	985
1979	165	132	21	557	875
1980	194	53	24	530	801
1981	332	112	28	878	1,350
1982	99	80	18	328	525
1983	142	66	22	280	510
1984	267	64	22	513	866
1985	415	20	13	468	916
1986	622	45	10	773	1,450
1987	246	92	12	780	1,130
1988	218	211	18	600	1,047
1989	163	175	15	606	959
1990	214	190	24	478	906
1991	139	197	56	570	962
1992	148	302	18	598	1,066
1993	147	146	27	504	824
1994	170	120	6	529	825
1995	370	8	5	554	937
1996	459	53	2	905	1,419
1997	357	136	14	730	1,237
1998	435	70	17	1130	1,652
1999	395	20	16	552	983
2000	446	25	2	591	1,064
2001	876	44	11	667	1,598
2002 ³	456	39	38	628	1,161
2003 (to 30/06/03) ³	79	5	1	346	431
Grand Totals	11212	5672	590	30,058	47541
Notes:
1. Includes Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) / Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Reserve.
2. Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) / Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) (Home Service Battalions)
3. 2002 and 2003 statistics are provisional and may be subject to minor amendment in the future.
n/a - not available
Sources:
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). (2003) Persons injured as a result of the Security Situation in Northern Ireland 1969-2003, (by calendar year); http://www.psni.police.uk/index/departments/statistics_branch.htm
Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics 2002; Table 6.3
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Table NI-SEC-06: Security related incidents (number) in Northern Ireland (only), shootings, bombings, and incendiaries, 1969 to 2003
Year	Shooting incidents	Bombings ¹				Incendiaries
		Incidents	Devices used			Incidents	Devices Used
		Incidents	Bomb Explosions	Devices Neutralised	Total Devices Used	Incidents	Devices Used
1969	73	n/a	9	1	10	n/a	0
1970	213	n/a	153	17	170	n/a	0
1971	1,756	n/a	1022	493	1515	n/a	0
1972	10,631	n/a	1382	471	1853	n/a	0
1973	5,019	n/a	978	542	1520	n/a	0
1974	3,208	n/a	685	428	1113	n/a	270
1975	1,803	n/a	399	236	635	n/a	56
1976	1,908	n/a	766	426	1192	n/a	236
1977	1,081	n/a	366	169	535	n/a	608
1978	755	n/a	455	178	633	n/a	115
1979	728	n/a	422	142	564	n/a	60
1980	642	n/a	280	120	400	n/a	2
1981	1,142	n/a	398	131	529	n/a	49
1982	547	n/a	219	113	332	n/a	36
1983	424	n/a	266	101	367	n/a	43
1984	334	n/a	193	55	248	n/a	10
1985	238	n/a	148	67	215	n/a	36
1986	392	n/a	172	82	254	n/a	21
1987	674	n/a	236	148	384	n/a	9
1988	538	n/a	253	205	458	n/a	8
1989	566	n/a	224	196	420	n/a	7
1990	557	236	166	120	286	26	33
1991	499	312	231	137	368	144	237
1992	506	318	222	149	371	86	126
1993	476	257	206	83	289	45	61
1994	348	207	123	99	222	88	115
1995	50	2	1	1	2	10	10
1996	125	17	8	17	25	4	4
1997	225	78	43	50	93	9	9
1998	211	127	n/a	n/a	243	20	20
1999	125	82	n/a	n/a	100	7	7
2000	302	117	n/a	n/a	135	22	22
2001	355	349	n/a	n/a	444	5	6
2002	350	188	n/a	n/a	239	3	3
2003 (to 30/06/03) ²	122	40	n/a	n/a	45	6	6
Grand totals	36923				16209		2225
Notes:
1. Includes explosions / ignitions and defusings. Incidents involving petrol bombs or hoax calls are excluded
2. Statistics for 2003 are provisional and may be subject to amendment
n/a Not available.
Sources:
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). (2003) Security Related Incidents 1969-2003 (by calendar year); http://www.psni.police.uk/index/departments/statistics_branch.htm
Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics 2002; Table 6.2
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Table NI-SEC-07: Firearms, and explosive finds in Northern Ireland (only), 1969-2003
Year	Firearms found (number)	Explosives found (kg)
1969 ¹	14	102
1970	324	305
1971	716	1,246
1972	1,259	18,819
1973	1,313	17,426
1974	1,236	11,848
1975	820	4,996
1976	736	9,849
1977	563	1,728
1978	393	956
1979	300	905
1980	203	821
1981	357	3,419
1982	288	2,298
1983	166	1,706
1984	187	3,871
1985	173	3,344
1986	174	2,443
1987	206	5,885
1988	489	4,728
1989	246	1,377
1990	179	1,969
1991	164	4,167
1992	194	2,167
1993	196	3,944
1994	178	1,285
1995	118	5
1996	98	1,677
1997	105	1,258
1998	88	883
1999	113	89
2000	134	311
2001	97	117
2002	125	8
2003 (to 30/06/03) 2	73	17
Grand totals	12025	115969
Notes:
1. Statistics for 1969 are for the period August to December only
2. Statistics for 2003 are provisional and may be subject to amendment
Sources:
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). (2003) Firearms and Explosives Finds, 1969-2003 (By Calendar Year); http://www.psni.police.uk/index/departments/statistics_branch.htm
Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics 2002; Table 6.2
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Table NI-SEC-08: Armed robberies, 1969 to 2001-02
Year	Armed Robberies 1 (number)	Armed robberies (Amount in £000s)
1969 2	-	-
1970	-	-
1971	489	304
1972	1,931	795
1973	1,317	612
1974	1,353	576
1975	1,325	572
1976	889	545
1977	676	447
1978	493	223
1979	504	568
1980	467	497
1981	689	855
1982	693	1,392
1983	718	830
1984	710	702
1985	542	656
1986	839	1,207
1987	955	1,900
1988	742	1,389
1989	604	1,079
1990	492	1,729
1991	607	1,673
1992	739	1,666
1993	643	1,515
1994	555	1,709
1995	421	838
1996	405	2,840
1997	401	1,810
1997-98	396	1,845
1998-99	367	1,028
1999-00	432	1,687
2000-01	509	2,180
2001-02	636	7,405
Grand totals	22539	43,074
Notes:
1. Where a firearm is used or the impression of a firearm is given. Figures include attempts.
2. Statistics for 1969 are for the period August to December only.
Source:
Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics 2002; Table 6.2
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Table NI-SEC-09: Number of people charged with terrorist and other serious offences (numbers), 1969-2003
Year	Persons Charged
1972 ¹	531
1973	1,418
1974	1,374
1975	1,197
1976	1,276
1977	1,308
1978	843
1979	670
1980	550
1981	918
1982	686
1983	613
1984	528
1985	522
1986	655
1987	471
1988	440
1989	433
1990	383
1991	404
1992	418
1993	372
1994	349
1995	440
1996	595
1997	405
1998	459
1999	296
2000	303
2001	290
2002	333
2003 (to 31/06/03) ²	125
Grand totals	19605
Notes:
1. From 31 July 1972
2. Statistics for 2003 are provisional and may be subject to amendment
Source:
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI): Number of people charged with terrorist and serious public order offences, 1972-2003 (By Calendar Year); http://www.psni.police.uk/index/departments/statistics_branch.htm
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Table NI-SEC-10: Number of persons charged with terrorist and serious public order offences by paramilitary grouping, 2000-2003
Type of charge ¹	2000		2001 ³		2002 ³
Type of charge ¹	Loyalist	Republican	Loyalist	Republican	Loyalist	Republican
Murder	7	1	4	2	0	0
Attempted Murder	13	2	4	2	14	5
Firearms offences	34	21	33	16	44	9
Explosives offences	3	13	11	4	3	8
Armed robbery	8	8	0	3	4	2
Other ²	142	51	114	66	99	73
Total	207	96	166	93	164	97
Grand Total	303		259		261
Notes:
1. Where an individual has been charged for a number of offences, only the most serious offence is shown
2. For example, petrol bombing and hijacking offences
3. Statistics for 2001 and 2002 are provisional and may be changed
Source:
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). (2003) Number of people charged with terrorist and serious public order offences, 1972-2003 (By Calendar Year); http://www.psni.police.uk/index/departments/statistics_branch.htm
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Table NI-SEC-11: Casualties (numbers) as a result of paramilitary 'punishment' attacks in Northern Ireland, 1973-2009 (Calendar Year), and 2010/11-2017/18 (Financial Year)
Year	Shootings ¹			Assaults ²			Shootings and Assaults
	Total	By Loyalist Group	By Republican Group	Total	By Loyalist Group	By Republican Group	Total Casualties (Shootings and Assaults)	Total by Loyalist Group	Total by Republican Group
1973	74	21	53	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1974	127	43	84	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1975	189	50	139	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1976	98	36	62	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1977	126	28	98	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1978	67	17	50	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1979	76	25	51	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1980	77	26	51	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1981	80	14	66	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1982	81	22	59	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1983	31	9	22	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1984	26	6	20	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1985	32	11	21	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1986	41	24	17	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1987	124	67	57	-	n/a	n/a	-	-	-
1988	66	34	32	56	21	35	122	55	67
1989	161	65	96	51	23	28	212	88	124
1990	106	60	46	68	21	47	174	81	93
1991	76	40	36	62	22	40	138	62	76
1992	133	72	61	74	36	38	207	108	99
1993	85	60	25	41	35	6	126	95	31
1994	122	68	54	70	38	32	192	106	86
1995	3	3	0	217	76	141	220	79	141
1996	24	21	3	302	130	172	326	151	175
1997	72	46	26	156	78	78	228	124	104
1998	72	34	38	144	89	55	216	123	93
1999	73	47	26	134	90	44	207	137	70
2000	136	86	50	132	78	54	268	164	104
2001	186	121	65	146	93	53	332	214	118
2002	173	117	56	139	89	50	312	206	106
2003	156	101	55	149	103	46	305	204	101
2004	112	89	23	115	74	41	227	163	64
2005	85	74	11	89	60	29	174	134	40
2006	36	25	11	49	33	16	85	58	27
2007	6	1	5	46	39	7	52	40	12
2008	16	3	13	40	28	12	56	31	25
2009	41	1	40	81	65	16	122	66	56
2010 ³	11	0	11	16	15	1	27	15	12
2010/11⁴	33	0	33	50	34	16	83	34	49
2011/12	33	0	33	46	31	15	79	31	48
2012/13	27	1	26	36	27	9	63	28	35
2013/14	28	9	19	42	37	5	70	46	24
2014/15	36	6	30	58	42	16	94	48	46
2015/16	14	1	13	58	47	11	72	48	24
2016/17	28	3	25	66	56	10	94	59	35
2017/18	22	1	21	65	50	15	87	51	36

Grand totals	3421	1588	1833	2798	1660	1138	-	-	-
Notes:
1. "Shootings" refers to paramilitary 'punishment' attacks involving guns
2. "Assaults" (or beatings) refers to paramilitary 'punishment' attacks which did not involve guns
3. Statistics for 2010 are for 3 months (to 31st March)
4. From 1st April 2010, statistics are for financial year (1 April to 31 March)
n/a not available
Source:
Casualties as a result of paramilitary-style attacks 1973 - 2017/18, (By Calendar Year, and Financial Year), https://www.psni.police.uk/inside-psni/Statistics/security-situation-statistics/security-situation-statistics-archive/
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Table NI-SEC-12: Parade statistics (numbers), 2002 and 2001
2002	Loyalist ¹	Nationalist ²	Other	Total
Total parades	2,453	155	477	3,085
Legal parades	2,452	152	477	3,081
Illegal parades	1	3	0	4
Of the total:
Parades re-routed	38	1	1	40
Parades with other conditions imposed	69	2	0	71
Parades at which disorder occurred	22	4	0	26
2001	Loyalist ¹	Nationalist ²	Other	Total
Total parades	2218	123	381	2722
Legal parades	2203	116	380	2699
Illegal parades	15	7	1	23
Of the total:
Parades re-routed	43	3	2	48
Parades with other conditions imposed	42	4	1	47
Parades at which disorder occurred	26	1	2	29
Notes:
1. 'Loyalist' parades include those organised by the Orange Order, the Royal Black Preceptory and the Apprentice Boys as well as band parades/contests or protest marches involving the loyalist community.
2. 'Nationalist' parades includes parades organised by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Irish National Foresters as well as band parades/contests or protest marches involving the nationalist community.
Source:
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). (2003) Parade Statistics, 2000-2002; http://www.psni.police.uk/index/departments/statistics_branch.htm
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Table NI-SEC-13: Outcomes ¹ of complaints (numbers) against the police, during 2002-03 ²
Type of complaint	Substantiated	Not Substantiated	Withdrawn	Incapable of Investigation	Total Completed
Assault	1	163	10	46	220
Incivility	2	33	0	3	38
Neglect of duty	2	27	1	6	36
Oppressive conduct/harassment	0	19	1	8	28
Unlawful arrest/detention	0	10	0	3	13
Irregularity in procedure	0	11	0	2	13
Irregularity regarding evidence/perjury	0	6	0	1	3
Traffic offence	0	0	0	0	7
Irregularity in search of premises	0	3	0	0	0
Corrupt practice	0	1	0	0	4
Mishandling of property	0	4	0	0	0
Discriminatory behaviour	0	0	0	0	1
Other	3	13	0	2	18
Totals	8	290	12	71	381
Notes:
1. Figuers relate to complaints that were initially recorded up to 5th November 2000. From 6th November 2000 responsibility for the recording and investigation of complaints against the police passed to the Office of the Police Ombudsman
2. During the period 2002/03 the Police Service of Northern Ireland resolved 291 complaints with 332 allegations forwarded to them by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland for Informal Resolution.
Source:
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). (2003) Chief Constables Annual Report 2002/03; http://www.psni.police.uk/reportofchiefconstable.pdf
Table also available as:
Rich Text Format (RTF) Document; Microsoft Excel Document

Outcomes of Complaints against the Police Completed during 2001/02*

Type of complaint	Substaniated	Not Substantiated	Informally Resolved	Withdrawn	Incapable of Investigation	Total Completed
Assault	4	583	16	55	166	824
Incivility	8	228	150	5	22	413
Neglect of duty	19	105	161	7	25	317
Oppressive conduct/harrassment	3	173	31	3	20	230
Unlawful arrest/detention	0	49	3	4	26	82
Irregularity in procedure	2	39	22	2	8	73
Irregularity regarding evidence/perjury	0	25	3	0	2	30
Traffic offence	0	10	10	1	3	24
Irregularity in search of premises	0	11	10	0	2	23
Corrupt practice	1	13	0	0	1	15
Mishandling of property	0	7	4	0	2	13
Discriminatory behaviour	0	2	3	0	0	7
Other	1	56	4	5	13	79
Totals	38	1,301	417	82	290	2,128

Notes:
* Figures realte to complaints that were initially recorded up to 5^th November 2000 only. From 6^th November 2000, responsibility for the recording and investigation of complaints against the police passed to the Office of the Police Ombudsman.
Source: Outcomes of Complaints against the police completed during 2001/02, Chief Constables Report 2001/02, http://www.psni.police.uk/reports/Report2.pdf

Public Attitudes to Policing: Results of a survey conducted September 1996

(i) Confidence in the Police:

.	Catholics	Protestants
Confidence re. General Policing issues	60%	90%
Confidence re. Parades and Marches issue	34%	73%

Source: "A Partnership for Change": A report on Further consultation by the Police Authority for Northern Ireland

(ii) Performance of Local Police:

.	1994/1995			Sept. 1996
.	Total %	Protestant %	Catholic %	Total %	Protestant %	Catholic %
Very / fairly good	74	79	67	68	77	55
Neither good or bad	11	10	14	13	10	17
Very / fairly poor	9	7	13	17	12	25
Don't Know / Refusal	5	4	6	2	1	3