Rise in number of time PSNI officers drew guns

There were 17,742 uses of force reported by officers, an increase of 3%

The number of times police drew or pointed firearms in Northern Ireland rose by 20% in 2022-23, new figures have revealed.

Use of force statistics were published on Friday and relate to incidents between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.

They showed police drew or pointed firearms 527 times, which was the highest level in the previous 10 years.

There were 17,742 uses of force reported by officers, a year-on-year increase of 3%.

The report said in the vast majority of cases officers acted to protect themselves or other officers.

Despite the rise in the number of times guns were drawn, a gun was fired on only one occasion.

Irritant spray usage increased while attenuating energy projective (AEPs) - more commonly known as baton rounds - and baton use decreased.

The spray was used on 240 occasions - up from 220 - and was drawn a total of 274 times, a 20% rise on the previous figure of 229.

The most common type of force used was when officers used unarmed physical force.