Police mugshots: PSNI to review policy of withholding images

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is reviewing its policy of not issuing custody photos of convicted criminals, the chief constable has said.

Unlike many forces in the UK, the PSNI does not routinely release mugshots of people jailed for serious offences.

Jon Boutcher confirmed the review during a meeting with the Policing Board.

He said he wanted to "understand the arguments" around the issue.

It comes after families whose loved ones were killed by drunk drivers questioned why police will not release photos of the offenders.

Internal emails seen by BBC News NI also showed confusion among PSNI staff over the policy.

Mr Boutcher, a former chief constable of Bedfordshire Police, said that "by and large" mugshots of convicted criminals "would be released to the media with many forces".

"That's not the practice here. I have looked at the policy here and I have raised some questions, and we are reviewing the policy," he said.

"I'm not going to go any further than that at the moment because I want to understand the arguments that exist here around that.

"So that's being reviewed and I'm happy to report back to you on that."

'Too risk averse'

Mr Boutcher was responding to a question from Brendan Mullan, an independent Policing Board member.

Mr Mullan asked the chief constable to clarify the policy and whether it would be amended "to ensure that justice is seen to be done".

A survey of police forces across the UK last year by BBC News NI found that many issue mugshots of offenders handed sentences above a certain threshold, such as a jail sentence of 12 months or more.

Last week, former senior PSNI officer Jon Burrows said the current policy is "too risk averse".

He said police could be concerned about potential attacks on criminals by paramilitary groups, but he argued releasing the images would help "undermine the very narrative that vigilantes rely on".

Former PSNI officer and current Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) councillor Linzi McLaren said it was a "balancing act" for police.

"The police have a huge duty of responsibility towards not only the victims but, as unpalatable as it is, sometimes they also have to and must protect the rights of the accused," she said.

A PSNI spokeswoman said that "all cases are considered individually on their own merits in line with legal requirements".

"The Police Service of Northern Ireland considers each request for disclosure of a custody image in accordance with legislation applicable in Northern Ireland, police service policy and ECHR [European Convention on Human Rights] and data protection principles."