A one month dashcam pilot scheme has been introduced in Newry, Mourne and Down Policing District in response to high levels of police vehicle ramming incidents across Northern Ireland.
In this calendar year, more than 100 incidents of police vehicles being rammed have been recorded, with 17 of these occurring in D District. Across the Service more than 20 vehicles have been removed for repairs at a cost of approximately £140,000.
District Commander Superintendent Lynne Corbett said: “The primary aim of this pilot scheme is to deter and reduce ramming incidents, keep our officers safer, minimise fleet damage and enhance criminal justice outcomes when offenders weaponise vehicles against us.
The pilot will also seek to refine the use of cameras in our vehicles and identify a recognised standard for evidence extraction. It will enable us to build evidence-based intelligence on minimising both officer injury and fleet loss, strengthen operational resilience, and send a clear message to offenders that using a vehicle as a weapon will not be tolerated.”
A serving officer in the District has described his experience of being aboard a vehicle which was rammed in October of this year. He said: “Whilst out on patrol we were alerted to a report of a potentially intoxicated driver. As further details came in, we made our way to the area he was believed to be in with the aim of stopping his vehicle and preventing harm to other road users.
We activated our lights and sirens as we made our way towards the suspected drink-driver, however as we approached, a second vehicle appeared and, apparently assuming police were trying to stop him, he deliberately drove his vehicle at speed into the lefthand side of our patrol car. Our vehicle was violently shunted and in turn struck a member of the public’s car. The offending vehicle also struck a van travelling in front of them as they made off across the border.
As a result, two police officers, two older people and two young men all sustained injuries, and a PSNI vehicle is still away for repair.
It is certainly an extremely scary and traumatising experience to go through, to have someone deliberately drive toward you at speed with the intent of stopping you and injuring you. It is something I hope not to experience again.”
Superintendent Corbett continued: “The deliberate ramming of police vehicles constitutes a serious and continuing threat to our frontline operational capability and as District Commander I am pleased that D District has been chosen for this pilot, giving our officers additional evidentiary capabilities and protections.
There must be a lot more awareness of, and praise for, the invaluable and often dangerous work officers are doing in communities, and zero tolerance for those who use vehicles to attack them for simply doing their job and keeping people safe.”