Police Service of Northern Ireland

Police Service of Northern Ireland
Badge and logo of the PSNI
Agency overview
Formed	4 November 2001
Preceding agency	Royal Ulster Constabulary
Annual budget	£836.7m (FY 2014/2015)
Legal personality	Non government: Police force
Jurisdictional structure
Police Service of Northern Ireland area
Size	5,456 sq mi (14,130 km2)
Population	1,861,200
Legal jurisdiction	Northern Ireland
Governing body	Northern Ireland Assembly
Constituting instrument	Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000
General nature	Law enforcement Local civilian police
Operational structure
Overviewed by	Northern Ireland Policing Board
Headquarters	Police Headquarters, Brooklyn, 65 Knock Road, Belfast
Police Officers	7,200
Police Staffs	2,500
Elected officer responsible	Claire Sugden MLA, Minister of Justice
Agency executive	George Hamilton, Chief Constable
Departments	12 Crime Operations Department Criminal Justice Department Human Resources Department Department of Media and Public Relations Professional Standards Department Search and Rescue Team Crime Support Department Finance and Support Services Legal Services Department Operational Support Department Rural Region Urban Region
Regions	8
Facilities
Stations	79
Police boats	Yes
Planes	3 helicopters 1 fixed-wing aircraft
Dogs	28
Website
Psni.police.uk

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) (Irish: Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann,Ulster Scots: Polis Servis o Norlin Airlan) is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the defunct Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) which, in turn, was the successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) in Northern Ireland.

Although the majority of PSNI officers are still Ulster Protestants, this dominance is not as pronounced as it was in the RUC because of positive discrimination policies. The RUC was an armed police force and played a key role in policing the violent conflict known as the Troubles. As part of the Good Friday Agreement, there was an agreement to introduce a new police force initially based on the body of constables of the RUC. As part of the reform, an Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland (the Patten Commission) was set up, and the RUC was replaced by the PSNI on 4 November 2001. The Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 named the new police force as the Police Service of Northern Ireland (incorporating the Royal Ulster Constabulary); shortened to Police Service of Northern Ireland for operational purposes.

All major political parties in Northern Ireland now support the PSNI. At first Sinn Féin, which represents about a quarter of Northern Ireland voters, refused to endorse the PSNI until the Patten Commission's recommendations were implemented in full. However, as part of the St Andrews Agreement, Sinn Féin announced its full acceptance of the PSNI in January 2007.

The senior officer in charge of the PSNI is its Chief Constable. The Chief Constable is appointed by the Northern Ireland Policing Board, subject to the approval of the Minister of Justice for Northern Ireland. The Chief Constable of Northern Ireland is the third-highest paid British police officer. The Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police are respectively the highest-paid and second-highest paid British police officers.