Members of the Northern Ireland Policing Board’s Performance Committee welcomed PSNI’s acceptance of recommendations aimed at improving the use of Spit and Bite Guards, notwithstanding continued concerns about the use of Spit and Bite Guards.
In February 2022, the Policing Board produced a report entitled “A Review of the PSNI’s use of Spit and Bite Guards by the NI Policing Board’s Human Rights Advisor”. PSNI have now reported back to the Board following their agreement to implement 17 of the Report’s 21 recommendations and partially accept two others. This has resulted in changes in how PSNI apply and use Spit and Bite Guards.
The Board has noted PSNI’s changes and proposed changes to how officers will consider and apply any use of a Spit and Bite Guard and welcomes the additional considerations officers need to make prior to any use of the Guards. Additional levels of scrutiny have also been introduced if any Spit and Bite Guard is used on individuals aged under 18. Improvements have been made to officer training in this area particularly when dealing with medical and other factors including autism, sensory disabilities, the effects of alcohol and drugs and the risks of self-harm.
Further improvements are still to be made, however, the Board welcomes the PSNI’s decision to implement most of the recommendations of the review. Speaking about the update, the Chair of the Performance Committee, Gerry Kelly MLA said:
“The decision to use spit and bite guards was designated, by a Chief Constable as an operational decision for PSNI. Nonetheless, Members welcomed the PSNI decision to implement most of the recommendations made by the Board’s Human Rights Advisor with the aim of making the use of Spit and Bite Guards safer for individuals when these are applied.
Officers have been trained to only use them in exceptional circumstances and in a safer way. We look forward to PSNI continuing to improve their performance in this area and welcome the proactive approach PSNI has taken to accepting most of the Board’s recommendations in this sensitive use of force area. We will continue to closely monitor the extent of the use of spit and bite guards and the outstanding areas covered by the Board’s recommendations.”
Ends
For further information please contact the Board’s Communications Office on 028 90408500
Notes to Editors
- A summary of the PSNI Report can be found below:
In 2022 the Policing Board requested that the Independent Human Rights Advisor conduct a human rights based review on the use of Spit and Bite Guards. The Report, published in February 2022, provided detailed and comprehensive evidence of the Human Rights implications of using Spit and Bite Guards.
The report set out the arguments for and against their use and evidence was provided about their potential unlawful use. The Report set out twenty-one detailed recommendations and PSNI have now reported to the Policing Board as follows:
- Accepts that the stated reason for introduction – the COVID pandemic – was not justified “The Spit and Bite Guard is not PPE, it is a piece of work equipment.”
- Accepts that there are issues of differential use between Catholics and Protestants, “The data currently available to us concerning the use of Spit and Bite Guards indicates a potential difference of treatment between members of those groups.”
- Use on children: The vulnerability of the subject must be taken into consideration in the context of the threat to officers and other members of the public… Where a subject is confirmed as being under 18 (or is believed to be under 18), officers must consider and discount all other available options and tactics before a spit and bite guard is deployed.
- “The Human Rights requirement in respect of the use of Spit and Bite Guards was not adequately set out in Chapter 1 of the Conflict Management Manual. We have updated policy on the use of Spit and Bite Guards (Chapter 16) to reflect the views of the Board’s Human Rights advisor in this area…”
- The PSNI should report on options for safe travel – “Accepted”
- Automatic independent review of every use on a child – “Accepted”
- The Guidance
- should be strengthened to deter any officer from using a Guard if they have not been recently trained to do so – “Accepted”.
- should be strengthened to recognise the dangers of their use – “Accepted”.
- needs to reinforce the importance of the guard being single-use. This should also be reflected in the training videos and face-to-face learning – “Accepted”.
- should have more detail on how to reassess the continuing need for the Guard being deployed– “Accepted”
- should give officers practical training to move away from the threat and encourage the use of PPE – “Accepted”
- should be subject to consultation with children – “Accepted”
- should be strengthened to deal with medical factors including autism, sensory disabilities, the effects of alcohol and drugs and the risks of self harm – “Accepted”
- Training needs
- to be more realistic, more comprehensive and repeated annually – “Accepted”
- to focus on communication and de-escalation – “Accepted”
- to focus on children’s rights, child development, and heightened risks to children– “Accepted”
- A copy of the Northern Ireland Policing Board Report on the use of Spit and Bite Guards can be found here: A Review of PSNI’s Use of Spit and Bite Guards by the NI Policing Board’s Human Rights Advisor