Northern Ireland Terrorism Legislation: Annual Statistics 2018/19
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 2018/19.
Documents
Details
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) today published Statistical Bulletin ‘Northern Ireland Terrorism Legislation: Annual Statistics 2018/19’. 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 2018/19.
Key Findings
Key statistics during 2018/19:
· The powers of stop and search under section 47A of the Terrorism Act 2000 were not exercised in Northern Ireland in 2018/19.
· There were 169 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 2018/19. There were five persons made subject to notification requirements under section 47 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008.
· There were 146 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 146 persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, 143 (98%) were held for 48 hours or less. Sixteen persons were charged and 130 persons were released.
· Sixteen persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 were charged with a total of 39 offences including four charges of attempted murder, eight charges for firearms offences, six charges of GBH with intent and four charges for possession of offensive weapons.
· As of 23 July 2019, none of the 16 persons detained under section 41 and subsequently charged in 2018/19 had been convicted. Thirteen were still awaiting prosecution.
· Three persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 were charged with a total of four offences under the Terrorism Act 2000. Three charges related to the collection of information (section 58) while the fourth related to possession for terrorist purposes (section 57). In 2018/19, one person detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 was charged with one offence under the Terrorism Act 2006; this offence related to preparation of terrorist acts.
· In 2018, there was a total of 34 persons disposed of by a non-jury trial, 29 of whom were found guilty of at least one charge. A total of 17 non-jury trial certificates was issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland in 2018.
· There were 26 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 six persons convicted of an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism Act 2006 or the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 during 2018/19.
· There were 1,515 examinations carried out by police officers under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in 2018/19. Of these, 656 were examinations of persons, eight of which resulted in a detention.
· There were 12 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 section 38, Schedule 4 of 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.