Question
Chief Constable, you will be aware that earlier this year, the College of Policing recommended that all new and existing police first response officers should receive mandatory domestic abuse training. In recent weeks, the need for such training was highlighted with the recent Police Ombudsman report into how officers handled a victim’s allegation of indecent exposure by Jonathan Cresswell,
The need for all first response officers to have undertaken this training and the involvement of voluntary organisations in shaping that training. was highlighted at a recent Policing Board Conversation with a Purpose event in Derry, where some attendees described their clients’ experiences of inconsistencies in how a small number of officers interacted with victims of domestic or sexual abuse.
The Board appreciates that training resources are at a premium within the service, but given the priority given to combatting Violence against Women and Children, could you outline the steps being taken to update the PSNI first responders training packages to reflect the College of Policing advice and the lessons learnt from the OPONI report; and
can you confirm that all front-line officers, including existing officers, will receive this updated training on how they should interact with victims of domestic on sexual abuse.
Answer
You can view the full video here: 1st October 2026: Policing Board Meeting in Public - YouTube
The full answer to this question can be found at 1:43:20
Tommy O’Reilly