PSNI chief warns Troubles legacy claims are draining frontline policing as the force marks its 25th anniversary

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has disclosed that the force paid out £7.7 million in Troubles-related compensation and ran up £14.6 million in legal costs connected to those cases between 2021 and 2026. He argued that historic civil claims should be funded through a separate arrangement rather than drawing on resources earmarked for frontline policing. Boutcher also warned that the £1 billion budget has been frozen for years while operational demands continue to grow.

Catholic officers remain under-represented in the PSNI, 25 years after boosting their numbers was set out as a founding objective.

More than 160 delegates, among them academics and criminal justice leaders, are gathered for a two-day conference at Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University.

Lord Patten, who led the original policing commission, described the reform as "the most important job" of his career.