The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is the police force in Northern Ireland. The force, which has over 7,000 officers, replaced the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in 2001. It has as its motto: ‘To work with communities and partners to make Northern Ireland safe, confident and peaceful’.
The Peace Preservation act of 1814 brought about the first police force in Ireland. However it was the Irish Constabulary Act of 1822 that saw the real beginning of an Irish Police Force. Under that Act a police force was established in each province in Ireland. A police command structure was put in place which had its headquarters in Dublin. The Constabulary (Ireland) Act of 1836 further reorganised the new police force and led to the introduction a constabulary code of regulations.
Permission to name The Irish Constabulary as the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was granted by Queen Victoria in 1867. The Dublin Metropolitan Police had responsibility for the policing of Dublin and the cities of Belfast and Derry for a time but it later became a separate division within the RIC. The RIC became the model for many other police forces around the world.
Following the ratification of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1922 the RIC was replaced by new police forces, called the Civic Guard and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). Sir Charles George Wickham was appointed as the first Inspector-General of the RUC when it was established on June 1st 1922. Wickham was from Tadcaster, Yorkshire in England and remained in charge of the RUC until 1945. When the Civic Guard was established Michael Staines from Newport Co Mayo was appointed as first Commissioner on August 17th 1922. The Civic Guard was later named An Garda Síochána.
As part of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 an Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland was set up. The report of the Commission was published in 1999. The implementation of the recommendations of the report brought about a major reorganisation of policing in Northern Ireland. Under its terms the Royal Ulster Constabulary was replaced by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland was formed in the year 2001 On This Day.
PSNI Motor Bike by leppre on 2013-02-24 15:33:02
G-PSNI by Dec32 on 2013-06-22 16:05:35