Official Statistics

Northern Ireland Terrorism Legislation - Annual Statistics 2017/18

The Secretary of State has today published the Northern Ireland Terrorism Legislation Annual Statistics 2017/18

Documents

Details

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) today published Statistical Bulletin ‘Northern Ireland Terrorism Legislation: Annual Statistics 2017/18’. This is an Official Statistics publication.

The report details the use in Northern Ireland of powers contained within the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism (Northern Ireland) Act 2006, the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 and the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 in the financial year 2017/18.

Key Findings

Key statistics during 2017/18:

  • The powers of stop and search under section 47A of the Terrorism Act 2000 were not exercised in Northern Ireland in 2017/18.

  • There were 189 premises searched under warrant by the Police Service of Northern Ireland under section 37, Schedule 5 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

  • As in previous years, there was limited use of powers provided under the Terrorism Act 2006 and the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 during 2017/18. There were five persons made subject to notification requirements under section 47 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008.

  • There were 176 persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and five applications for an extension of detention, all of which were granted.

  • Of the 176 persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, 170 (97%) were held for 48 hours or less. Thirteen persons were charged and 163 persons were released.

  • Thirteen persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 were charged with a total of 26 offences including four offences of murder, two offences of attempted murder and six firearms offences.

  • As of 8 July 2018, one of the thirteen persons detained under section 41 and subsequently charged in 2017/18 had been convicted.

  • Two persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 were charged with two offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 including one of membership (section 11) and one relating to collection of information (section 58). In 2017/18, two persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 were charged with two offences in total under the Terrorism Act 2006; both offences related to preparation of terrorist acts.

  • In 2017, there were a total of 12 persons disposed of by a non-jury trial, eight of whom were found guilty of at least one charge. A total of 21 non-jury trial certificates were issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland in 2017.

  • There were 11 Preliminary Inquiries under section 3 of the Justice and Security Act (Northern Ireland) 2007, nine of which were committed to the Crown Court.

  • There were a total of 13 persons convicted of an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism Act 2006 or the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 during 2017/18.

  • There were 2,601 examinations carried out by police officers under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in 2017/18. Of these, 1,031 were examinations of persons, of which 11 resulted in a detention.

  • There were 13 designated cordons under section 33 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

  • Compensation payments (comprising solicitors’ and loss assessors’ fees) paid under section 38, Schedule 4 of the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007, totalled £39,749.

Notes for Editors

This is an annual publication reporting on key Northern Ireland specific terrorism legislation statistics. Figures are mainly drawn from administrative and operational data sources.

Official Statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs and are produced free from any political interference. They are also subject to restrictions in terms of pre-release access.

Published 7 November 2018