Court delays 'make victims withdraw' - PSNI detective

19 December 2018

Delays in getting cases to NI courts are causing some victims to withdraw from the criminal justice process, according to a senior police officer.

The delays were due partly to NI's justice process and court listings working differently to the rest of the UK's, said DCS Paula Hilman.

Ms Hilman is the head of the PSNI's Public Protection Branch.

She said it takes "significantly longer" for a case to go to court in Northern Ireland compared to England.

"It means victims then withdraw from the criminal justice process... We need to reduce that delay," she said.

"We need to focus on how we can reduce that and work closely with the public prosecution service."

Reports of child abuse, rape crime and domestic violence were increasing year-on-year, Ms Hilman told BBC Radio Foyle.

There has been a 12% rise in reports of rape in Northern Ireland in 2018, and even then Ms Hilman said rape was under-reported.

Some 1011 rapes were reported to the PSNI between November 2017 and October of this year- half from children under the age of 18.

The PSNI receives roughly 6,000 child abuse referrals each year, including cases of historic and recent physical and sexual abuse.

The Public Protection Branch's Child Internet Protection Team (CIPT) has been involved in 120 searches in the past year.

The team made 72 arrests for offences, including possession, making and distributing indecent images and sexual communication with a child.

Ms Hilman said the resources were improving in the Belfast-based branch, which has a slightly higher sickness rate than the PSNI average.

"The staff get special training," she said. "They are dealing with child abuse, rape and indecent images of children. Their wellbeing is important."

Paula Hilman was speaking to BBC Radio Foyle as part of a series looking at the challenges facing the police in the north west of Northern Ireland.

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