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The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) today published a Statistical Bulletin Northern Ireland Terrorism Legislation: Annual Statistics 2023. This is an Official Statistics publication.

The report details the use in Northern Ireland of powers contained within the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism (Northern Ireland) Act 2006, the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 and the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 during the period January to December 2023.

Key Findings

Key statistics during January to December 2023:

• The powers of stop and search under section 47A (Searches in specified areas or places) of the Terrorism Act 2000 were not exercised in Northern Ireland in 2023.

• There were 130 premises searched under warrant by the Police Service of Northern Ireland under Schedule 5 (Terrorist investigations: information) to the Terrorism Act 2000.

• As in previous years, there was limited use of powers provided under the Terrorism Act 2006 and the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008. There were six people made subject to notification requirements under section 47 (Initial notification) of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008.

• There were 104 persons detained under section 41 (Arrest without warrant) of the Terrorism Act 2000 and 13 applications for an extension of detention, all of which were granted.

• Of the 104 persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, 91 (88%) were held for 48 hours or less. Twenty-one persons were charged and 83 persons were released.

• Twenty-one persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 were charged with a total of 47 offences, including seven charges of attempted murder, eight for explosives offences and eight for firearms offences.

• As of 22 April 2024, of the 21 persons charged after being detained in Northern Ireland under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, 19 were still awaiting prosecution.

• Eleven persons detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 were charged with a total of 18 offences under the Terrorism Act 2000. Seven of these charges were related to possession for terrorist purposes, six related to support, two for membership, two for fundraising, while the remaining charge related to collection of information. Six people were detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and were each charged with an offence under the Terrorism Act 2006; these related to preparation of terrorist acts.

• In 2023, there was a total of 28 persons disposed of by a non-jury trial, 21 of whom were found guilty of at least one charge. A total of 20 non-jury trial certificates were issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.

• There were 24 Preliminary Inquiries, all of which were committed to the Crown Court.

• During 2023, there was a total of 15 persons convicted of an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism Act 2006 or the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008.

• There were 147 examinations carried out by police officers under Schedule 7 (Port and Border Controls) to the Terrorism Act 2000; all were examinations of persons and 78 resulted in a detention.

• There were two designated cordons under section 33 (Cordoned Areas) of the Terrorism Act 2000.

• adjusters fees) payments made under Schedule 4 (Compensation) to the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007.

Notes for Editors

This is an annual publication reporting on key Northern Ireland specific terrorism legislation statistics. Figures are mainly drawn from administrative and operational data sources. The published report presents data for the last five years. Figures for years prior to this are provided in an accompanying Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

Official Statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs and are produced free from any political interference. They are also subject to restrictions in terms of pre-release access.

The PDF bulletin and accompanying Excel spreadsheet are available from the NIO web-site (www.gov.uk/nio).

Press queries about this publication should be directed to the NIO Press Office atcommunications@nio.gov.uk