March 28, 2025 | Finance and Procurement , Finance
Request Number: FOI/14077
Category: Finance and Procurement - Finance
Subject: Organisation Information
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 some information to which your request relates and this is being provided to you.
We consider the information you seek in request numbers 1 and 2 exempt by virtue of Section 21 of FOIA and have detailed our rationale as to why this exemption applies. We have also provided you with links to guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office which we have followed in responding to your request.
Request Details
I am writing to obtain the following information under the freedom of information act. Please provide the following information for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years:
Request 1
The total income your organisation received from the government in each year.
For the purposes of this FOI, income from the government refers to all income you received from the UK government. This is most likely in the form of government grants but could also be through other mechanisms.
Request 2
Your organisation's total expenditure in each year.
Total expenditure refers to the total amount of money your organisation spent in each financial year. If this is not available, please provide net expenditure and identify it as such.
Answer 1 and 2
Section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires the Police Service of Northern Ireland,
when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide the
applicant with a notice which:
(a) states the fact,
(b) specifies the exemption in question and
(c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.
The following exemption has been applied:
Section 21 - Information Reasonably Accessible by Other Means
The answers to Requests 1 and 2 can be found on the PSNI website. The following links contain documents which present the Annual Report and Accounts for the years ending March 2023 and March 2024.
https://www.psni.police.uk/about-us/our-departments/corporate-services/financial-services-branch/annual-statement-accounts
https://www.psni.police.uk/about-us/our-departments/corporate-services/financial-services-branch
Request 3
Your organisation's total staff headcount in each year.
Your organisation's headcount refers to the total number of staff employed during each financial year. If a total headcount is not available please provide the full-time equivalent figure and identify it as such.
Clarification Sought
By ‘staff headcount’ do you mean Officers and Civilian Staff.
Clarification Received
By headcount I mean all employed staff, both civilian and officers and both full time and part time.
Answer 3
Headcount figures for 31 March 2023 -
Police Officer: 6731
Police Staff: 2645
Headcount figures for 31 March 2024 -
Police Officer: 6452
Police Staff: 2449
Request 4
The year in which your organisation was originally founded
The year in which your organisation was founded refers to the initial founding of the organisation rather than a name change. Please provide the earliest possible date for this.
Answer 4
The Police Service of Northern Ireland was formed on 4 November 2001.