To ask the Minister of Justice to detail what assessment her Department has made of the link between police officer (i) sickness absence rates; (ii) recruitment and retention challenges; and (ii) public confidence in policing.

The management of resources, including staffing, within the PSNI remains a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I respect the Chief Constable’s operational independence and the role of the Policing Board; therefore, it would not be appropriate for me to make an assessment of matters relating to police sick absence rates.

I am encouraged by the results of the recent Northern Ireland Safe Community Telephone Survey, published in July, that confidence in the police and police accountability arrangements remains high.

I am committed to working to ensure that public confidence in policing is not eroded by issues relating to officer numbers and the additional pressure and responsibility that this places on fewer officers. I also believe that there is a role for us all to play in ensuring that confidence in policing is not damaged by unsubstantiated and negative rhetoric about the PSNI and wider justice system’s performance.

My department has regular engagement with the PSNI on these, and other issues and I will continue to work with the Chief Constable to ensure we have a police service that is properly resourced in all aspects for the challenges it faces.