PSNI: Liam Kelly says police recruitment plans have 'evaporated'

A recovery plan which aims to lift police officer numbers to 7,000 by 2028 is in "grave doubt", a union has claimed. Liam Kelly, chairman of the Police Federation of Northern Ireland, said the plan had "effectively evaporated". He said the number of Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers was "supposed to grow" to 6,500 by April 2026 - the end of year one of the recovery plan. "Despite the belated funding we're currently at 6,315 - 35 officers less than where the original baseline was drawn in 2025," he said. Speaking at a conference in Belfast, Kelly said the PSNI loses about 350 officers a year, so recruitment would have to be in the region of 800 officers to just catch up. "Let's be honest - that is now simply not going to happen. Even with the best will in the world, the knock-on effect to get to 7,000 officers by April 2028 has effectively evaporated," he added. Kelly accused Westminster and the Stormont Executive of "passing the parcel of blame in a game of unedifying brinkmanship". "Continued constrained one-year financial settlements are an obvious barrier to forward-planning," he added. "Despite the promise of ring-fenced funding, the PSNI Recovery Plan is in gr