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PSNI officers point firearms at children 37 times, figures show

Police officers have pointed firearms at children 37 times in the past two years
Police officers have pointed firearms at children 37 times in the past two years Police officers have pointed firearms at children 37 times in the past two years

CHILDREN have had firearms aimed at them by police officers dozens of times in the past two years.

PSNI officers pointed firearms at children 37 times between April 2014 and the beginning of April this year, figures released under Freedom of Information (FOI) show.

In its FOI response the PSNI said all 37 occasions, which do not include the use of Tasers, involved the firearm being 'pointed or aimed' only.

Chief Superintendent Kevin Dunwoody said that 14 instances involved 17-year-olds, 17 involved 16-year-olds, five related to 15-year-olds and one a 14-year-old.

He said some of the incidents included a boy walking along a street wielding a handgun, and another with a long-barrelled weapon.

"Other instances include police responding to a group of 10 to 15 people with offensive weapons on a main road who were believed to be about to attack/hijack vehicles and police being threatened by suspects armed with knives when they arrived at a number of stabbing incidents," he said.

He added that police take the responsibility of firearms "very seriously" and they are only used in "exceptional circumstances" when the safety of the public or police is at high risk.

In its FOI response the PSNI added that the age recorded may be based on the perceived age of the individual when recorded by the officer.

It also said the figures may not relate to 37 separate children aged under 18 as it's possible that more than one officer pointed their firearm at the same individual.