A review aimed at improving the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)’s handling of domestic violence, violence against women and girls (VAWG) and misogyny has:
…identified clear evidence of sexism and misogyny within the PSNI.
The report arrives following renewed focus on the North of Ireland having the worst rate of femicide across Britain and Ireland. In the last month, two men are suspected to have brutally murdered young women. In an additional case, a jury found Stephen McCullagh guilty of the horrific killing of his pregnant partner Natalie McNally in 2022.
PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher requested the report in mid 2025, which was ultimately carried out by Rachel Langdale KC. The PSNI published a summary of the report on 2 April 2026 as part of the monthly Northern Ireland Policing Board meeting.
Langdale also criticised the police service for a “misconduct process [which] is flawed” and said the PSNI needed:
…better data collection surrounding children involved in criminal or sexual exploitation and ensuring domestic abuse child aggravators are attached to
relevant offences where appropriate.
The report provided 42 recommendations for improvement for procedures around tackling domestic violence and violence against women and girls. These include further developing work with community and voluntary sector groups through:
…multi-agency co-location or attachment to police stations (e.g. Women’s Aid, Social Services, ASSIST NI)…
Langdale also called for:
…mandatory referral of victims to support services at an early stage for VAWG offences, with an opt out for victims.
PSNI told to speed up punishment for predatory cops
To fix the PSNI’s cultural issues with misogyny, Langdale called on:
Senior leaders across all areas of the PSNI to create and foster a culture of
psychological safety, enabling the prompt reporting of sexism and misogyny
She also made numerous recommendations to speed up disciplining of officers suspected of misconduct, stressing the need to:
Address delays in disciplinary proceedings as a matter of urgency
At the start of March, a separate report by the police ombudsman (the watchdog overseeing policing conduct) found that:
Police predatory behaviour now makes up 30% of the most serious cases being investigated by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, a figure which continues to rise…
It looked into cases of PSNI officers engaging in:
…alleged ‘abuse of position for sexual purposes’ (APSP)”
The period examined was 2018–2024. These incidents involved cops preying on highly vulnerable women with the intent of taking advantage of them sexually. The report said:
Every victim of alleged predatory police behaviour in the analysis was female and all were vulnerable to some degree. A significant number had multiple vulnerabilities. The most common of 18 vulnerabilities identified in the report was being a victim of crime, while others also included vulnerabilities as a result of mental health issues, domestic abuse, suicidal ideation or addiction. Some victims were involved in crimes themselves, a fact which made them more vulnerable to exploitation by a police officer.
Such is the power imbalance that many women do not report the offending directly for fear of reprisal and others can be so vulnerable that they do not recognise that the officer is abusing them and instead see him as a ‘knight in shining armour’ figure.
Chief constable accepts report’s findings
All policing is affected by a power imbalance in favour of officers, hence the need for constant, rigorous oversight. Clearly the PSNI has been falling short in this regard. The ombudsman is currently occupied by another investigation into extreme predatory behaviour within the PSNI. It involves an officer who committed potentially hundreds of sexual offences between 2000 and 2009. The task of looking into the matter is so great that the ombudsman has warned all other work by the body will be affected.
Responding as part of the PSNI’s monthly accountability report, police force head Boutcher said:
Abuse of position for sexual purposes is wholly unacceptable. It is a serious breach of trust and a clear abuse of authority. Where it occurs, it causes significant harm to victims and undermines confidence and the legitimacy of policing.
He also acknowledged Langdale’s findings, saying:
I am grateful to Rachel for her work and the learning it provides. I accept the findings and recommendations in full and as a Service we will ensure that clear and measurable action is taken to address them.
While Boutcher obnoxiously quibbled over stats when discussing the Six Counties’ terrible femicide figures in Westminster recently, the response in his report shows a more serious approach. Over half is dedicated to the matter of VAWG and the PSNI’s cultural failings on misogyny.
No one expects the PSNI to reform by itself. However, with sufficient pressure from external reports and more involvement from third-sector groups that have women’s wellbeing as their core focus, standards may improve.
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