There were almost 50 domestic abuse accusations against PSNI officers in the last two years – but just a single dismissal and 17 incidents when no further action was taken.
The allegations include physical abuse, coercive control, harassment and sexual abuse and were made against officers from constable to superintendent rank.
Of the 46 complaints since January 2024, 22 cases remain ongoing. Of the 24 concluded cases four officers resigned or retired while two were subject to action from management.
"No further action" was the most common outcome – accounting for 17 cases, or 71 percent, according to records released to The Ditch under freedom of information.
‘No further action taken’
The 46 complaints break down into 13 different categories.
Physical abuse was the largest category with 11 complaints. Six complaints involved both physical abuse and coercive control.
Five complaints involved coercive control alone while another five concerned emotional or psychological abuse. Five complaints were for harassment and four were categorised as "verbal only domestic."
Three complaints featured sexual abuse.
In one case sexual abuse occurred alone. In another it was combined with physical abuse and in a third it appeared alongside emotional abuse.
Three complaints involved both harassment and physical abuse.
One complaint combined emotional abuse and coercive control. Additionally one complaint featured financial and emotional abuse and one case combined emotional, financial, and physical abuse.
The PSNI did not provide information on how many officers faced criminal charges or convictions as a result of the complaints.
The figures come more than three years after a 2021 investigation by VICE World News and The Detail revealed that two-thirds of concluded PSNI domestic abuse complaints between 2015 and 2021 resulted in no further action.
The latest data shows the proportion of concluded cases resulting in no further action has increased.
The rate of officers resigning or retiring during complaints processes has also increased.
Four officers resigned or retired in the past two years compared with one in the six years examined by The Detail.
At the time of the 2021 investigation the PSNI said it was "committed to continuously reviewing and improving on their approach to investigations". It also announced that new "Domestic Abuse In The Workplace" service guidance was underway.
The PSNI has been contacted for comment.
