Official Statistics

Northern Ireland Terrorism Legislation: Annual Statistics 2019/20

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 2019/20.

From:
Northern Ireland Office
Published
5 November 2020

Applies to Northern Ireland

Documents

NI Terrorism Legislation Annual Statistics 2019/20

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Details

Statistical Press Notice

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) today published Statistical Bulletin ‘Northern Ireland Terrorism Legislation: Annual Statistics 2019/20’. 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 2019/20.

Key Findings

Key Statistics during 2019/20

  • The powers of stop and search under section 47A of the Terrorism Act 2000 were not exercised in Northern Ireland in 2019/20.

  • There were 179 premises searched under warrant by the Police Service of Northern Ireland under Schedule 5 to 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 2019/20. There were three persons made subject to notification requirements under section 47 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008.

  • There were 128 persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and three applications for an extension of detention, all of which were granted.

  • Of the 128 persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, 125 (98%) were held for 48 hours or less. Seventeen persons were charged and 111 persons were released.

  • Seventeen persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 were charged with a total of 66 offences including two charges of murder, one charge of attempted murder, 15 charges for firearms offences, eight charges of drug offences and six charges of explosive offences.

  • As of 17 June 2020, one of the 17 persons detained under section 41 and subsequently charged in 2019/20 had been convicted. Sixteen were still awaiting prosecution.

  • Nine persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 were charged with a total of 15 offences under the Terrorism Act 2000. Seven of these charges related to the collection of information, five related to membership, two related to possession for terrorist purposes while the remaining charge related to use and possession.

  • Two persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 were charged with a total of two offences under the Terrorism Act 2006. Both charges related to preparation of terrorist acts.

  • In 2019, there was a total of 26 persons disposed of by a non-jury trial, 18 of whom were found guilty of at least one charge. A total of 13 non-jury trial certificates was issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland in 2019.

  • There were 27 Preliminary Inquiries under section 3 of the Justice and Security Act (Northern Ireland) 2007, all of which were committed to the Crown Court.

  • There was a total of 14 persons convicted of an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism Act 2006 or the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 during 2019/20.

  • There were 456 examinations carried out by police officers under Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 in 2019/20. All of these were examinations of persons, 34 of which resulted in a detention.

  • There were 15 designated cordons under section 33 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

  • There were no compensation (solicitors’ and loss assessors’ fees) or agency (loss adjusters’ fees) payments made under Schedule 4 to the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007.

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 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.

The bulletin is available in PDF format from the NIO web-site (www.gov.uk/nio).

Press queries about this publication should be directed to the NIO Press Office on telephone number 02890 527856.

Published 5 November 2020