A Co Armagh MLA has called on better protection for officers against criminals, especially in the border regions where ramming incidents are prevalent.
The DUP’s William Irwin asked Minister of Justice, Naomi Long, to provide additional assistance to the PSNI to prevent the rise in vehicle ramming incidents against PSNI patrols.
Ms Long said she found the incidents of ramming “deplorable and a deliberate act of criminality, demonstrating little regard to others”.
She added: “This is why I intend to bring forward a new offence of assault on those providing services to the public, within a proposed Sentencing Bill which I hope will be introduced in this mandate. The new offence will have a higher maximum sentence in the magistrates’ courts than is currently available for the similar existing offences.”
Mr Irwin said that whilst efforts are welcomed on increasing the penalty for the offence of deliberately assaulting someone providing a public service, “in many of the cases in recent times the criminals have sped off after ramming the police car and injuring the officers within the vehicle”.
He added: “However, in order for a criminal to be prosecuted under any revised sentencing levels, they first need to be successfully apprehended.
“In many of the cases in the border areas of my constituency this has not been possible due to the criminals making their escape.
“I do still feel there is a necessity for more protection for officers in these circumstances given the impacts of these incidents and the risks that officers are exposed to when criminals decide to endanger life in this reckless fashion.
“The Minister must respond to that urgent need in a much swifter fashion.”
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