Inspection highlights ‘inconsistent and inadequate’ responses to child criminal exploitation in Northern Ireland

16th April 2026Sarah Gibbons, Contributing Editor, Policing Insight

A new report by Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland into how the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the wider criminal justice system recognises, assesses and responds to child criminal exploitation highlights the “inconsistent and, in many respects, inadequate” responses, and urges the PSNI to improve its delivery model as well as recoding and monitoring systems to better protect children targeted by paramilitary groups and criminals, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

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Inspection highlights ‘inconsistent and inadequate’ responses to child criminal exploitation in Northern Ireland

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