November 13, 2025 | Human Resources , Officer and Staff: Recruitment and Promotion
Request Number: FOI/16042
Category: Human Resources - Officer and Staff (Recruitment & Promotion)
Subject: 2025 Student Officer Vetting
Request and Answer:
Your request for information has now been considered. In respect of Section 1(1)(a) of the Act we can confirm that the Police Service of Northern Ireland does hold information to which your request relates. The decision has been taken to disclose the following.
Question 1
As of the 16th October 2025:
For each interim list (IML1, IML2, IML3, IML4):
a. The number of candidates who have passed vetting.
b. The number of candidates who have failed vetting.
c. The number of candidates who are still awaiting a vetting decision.
Answer 1
Please note that interim merit lists (1, 2, 3 and 4) have now been merged with the final merit list for the 2025 campaign. The figures below are therefore based on the overall merit list for the 2025 Campaign. These figures are updated on an ongoing basis as candidates progress through the vetting stage of the process.
a.) As of 17th October, 272 candidates within the 2025 Campaign merit list have successfully completed the vetting stage
b.) As of 17th October, 2 candidates have failed vetting.
c.) As of 17th October, 542 candidates are currently undergoing the vetting process and have not yet received an outcome.
Question 2
For each intake (IML1, IML2, IML3, IML4):
a. The number of candidates whose vetting files have been referred to the vetting panel for consideration.
b. The number of candidates who have received an outcome (pass/fail) following panel assessment.
Answer 2
a.) 14 cases.
b.) 7 cases.
Question 3
The total number of times the vetting panel has met during this recruitment campaign (to date).
Answer 3
We can confirm that there has been 8 Vetting panels this calendar year.
Please be aware of following legislation with regard to submissions of Freedom of Information requests.
Section 14(2) Vexatious Requests
“Where a public authority has previously complied with a request for information which was made by any person, it is not obliged to comply with a subsequent identical or substantially similar request from that person unless a reasonable interval has elapsed between compliance with the previous request and the making of the current request”
Section 14(2) is a provision within the FOIA which allows a public authority to refuse a request if it is repeated. To engage this provision a certain criteria must be met. These are as follows;
(1) The request must be made by the same person as the previous request.
(2) The request must be identical or substantially similar to the previous request.
(3) A reasonable interval has not elapsed since the previous request.
A public authority is not required to comply with the request(s) for information if they have previously provided the same requestor with the information via a previous FOI request, or they have confirmed the information is not held in response to a previous request.
The ‘reasonable interval’ is not defined within the Act but it is suggested that 60 working days may be a useful benchmark. However this is subject to the prevailing circumstances such as the information changing on a regular basis or a newer version becoming available shortly after the request was dealt with.