§ Mr. Whiteheadasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints have been made to date under the Police Act (Northern Ireland) 1970; how many have been referred to the Attorney-General or to the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland; how many have resulted in criminal proceedings and with what results in terms of charges preferred, acquittal and conviction, and sentences given; and what were the results at any subsequent appeals.
§ Mr. MoyleSince the Police Act (Northern Ireland) 1970 was enacted there have been 3,759 complaints recorded against members of the RUC, and of these 1,233 have been referred to the Attorney-General or the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.
Criminal proceedings have been instituted in 32 cases. These cases in terms of charges preferred, convictions and acquittals are as follows:
Charge Preferred Number charged Acquitted Convicted Assault 27 21 6 Theft 4 1 3 Bribery 1 — 1 Of the six persons convicted for assault, five were fined and one received a conditional discharge. Two persons convicted of theft received suspended prison sentences and one was fined. The person convicted of bribery was fined.
408WIn the 10 proven cases no appeals were lodged.
Of the 3,759 complaints made, a total of 837 was withdrawn and 294 are presently under investigation. Twenty-three complaints resulted in disciplinary proceedings.