The general legislation on police powers in Northern Ireland is similar to that in England and Wales, namely the Police and Criminal Evidence (NI) Order 1989 as amended. This is commonly called PACE for short. Additional offences are now covered in the Terrorism Act 2000 as amended, which is a UK-wide act. The Army may […]
The Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 provided for the appointment of an Attorney General for Northern Ireland. The Attorney General is to be appointed by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, acting jointly. The Attorney General is to appoint staff, subject to the approval of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, as to […]
The Public Prosecution Service is to comprise two offices, the Director and Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions. Offices may be set up in such places in Northern Ireland as are considered appropriate for the exercise of the Service’s functions. The Deputy Director and Director generally hold their posts until retirement. The Attorney may extend their […]
A statement made by an accused while in police custody is admissible in evidence only if it is made voluntarily. The prosecution has to prove that the statement had not been obtained by fear of prejudice or hope of advantage held by a person in authority or by a person questioning. The purpose of questioning […]
Under the Terrorism Act, as well as its predecessor, a statement might be excluded only if the person was subject to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment, violence, or the threat of violence in order to induce a statement. The evidentiary standard is significantly higher than the common law or the PACE standard. The codes […]