The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has launched a plan to address concerns within ethnic minority communities.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said he wants to ensure everyone in the region feels safe, supported and respected.
The force’s Race and Ethnicity Action Plan, launched on Thursday, August 7th, outlines goals and steps to eradicate racial and ethnic disparities in policing.
The plan outlines five commitments to being an anti-racist police service.
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It has been in development since 2024 following disorder associated with anti-immigration protests in Belfast as well as cities across the UK following the killing of three children in Southport.
Businesses belonging to those from minority communities were destroyed in the Donegall Road area during the disorder.
Similar tension was also seen earlier in 2025 in Ballymena, Co Antrim.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Boutcher said: “Recent events have demonstrated the need for decisive action and clear leadership to stamp out racism which clearly exists in communities in Northern Ireland”.
The PSNI’s plan said those events underline the need for policing to be visibly anti-racist and make it clear there is no place for hatred and discrimination in Northern Ireland.
It includes enhanced training programmes, oversight mechanisms, community engagement and policy reforms.
The plan outlined commitments ensure people from an ethnic minority background feel safe, valued by and engaged in policing and that police respect and are trusted by people from ethnic minority communities.
Police have committed to “excellence in diversity, equality, representation and inclusivity”.
The plan noted that according to the most recent census, 8.1 per cent of the region’s population belongs to ethnic minority communities, yet just 0.66 per cent of PSNI officers and 0.75 per cent of staff do.
In his foreword to the report, Mr Boutcher acknowledged public confidence in police, “especially among these communities [that have] been impacted by historical injustices, disparities in policing outcomes and a perception of bias within the system”.
“It is our responsibility to not only recognise these concerns, but to actively address them,” he said.
Mr Boutcher told the launch event that the plan represented a commitment to ethnic minority communities in Northern Ireland.
“We recognise the importance of listening to all communities and working together to build a policing service that truly reflects the diversity of the society we serve,” he said.
“We are confident this action plan will drive the work of the police service and help us to work more effectively with ethnic minority communities and partners.
“The Race and Ethnicity Action Plan aligns with PSNI’s broader equality, diversity and inclusivity and our work through our policing with the community vision, ensuring that tangible actions to address race and ethnicity are embedded across all areas of policing.”
He added that the force was committed to regular updates on the progress of the plan and “to continuing open dialogue with ethnic minority communities”.
Chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Mukesh Sharma, welcomed the publication of the plan.
“This action plan clearly sets out PSNI’s commitment to tackling racist hate crime in all its forms,” he said.
“There is much work to do in tackling hate crime. Its eradication requires a wider societal response in parallel with a policing one and publication of this action plan is an important step.
“The board will monitor and oversee progress in its delivery with the chief constable.”
