NEWS

Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long The Department of Justice has pulled its controversial consultation on firearms licensing fees following mounting opposition from rural and sporting communities across Northern Ireland, in a move being welcomed as a significant climbdown by critics of the proposals. The consultation had proposed changes aimed at achieving full cost recovery for firearms licensing, potentially increasing the financial burden on certificate holders a

16-year-old Jaidyn Rice was tragically killed in a road traffic collision in Bangor, Co Down on the evening of Tuesday 8th July 2025. The family of 16-year-old Jaidyn Rice are backing a push to change Northern Ireland’s road traffic laws after the teenager was killed in a collision that has left loved ones campaigning for tougher drug testing powers. Proposed amendments to the Justice Bill — being described as “Jaidyn’s Law” — would bring drug testing much more to the forefro

Justice Minister Naomi Long addressing the Police Federation for Northern Ireland annual conference Police officers who responded to recent dissident bomb attacks in Lurgan and Dunmurry have been praised for their “visible competence and bravery” as Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister warned the PSNI is now facing the bleakest financial crisis she has ever seen. Addressing the Police Federation for Northern Ireland annual conference, Naomi Long delivered a stark assessment of

Former world boxing champion Carl Frampton In major new BBC documentary Carl Frampton: On Probation Former world boxing champion Carl Frampton has been granted unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Northern Ireland’s probation system in a major new BBC documentary series exploring crime, rehabilitation and the difficult reality of preventing reoffending. The six-part series, Carl Frampton: On Probation, marks the first time television cameras have been allowed such extens

The Ulster Farmers’ Union has launched a strong challenge to proposals that would see firearms licensing fees in Northern Ireland rise by up to 153%, warning the move could place yet another financial strain on already pressured farm businesses. The proposed changes, put forward by the Department of Justice and now out for public consultation, would increase the cost of a firearm certificate from £98 to £250 , alongside significant rises across other licensing categories. For

Money taken from criminals is being channelled back into communities across Northern Ireland, with a fresh £389,000 funding boost set to support dozens of crime prevention projects. Justice Minister Naomi Long has confirmed the additional investment through the Assets Recovery Community Scheme (ARCS), bringing renewed momentum to efforts aimed at tackling crime and reducing the fear of crime at a local level. Turning criminal profits into community protection The funding—mad

Nexus NI has been awarded the contract to manage the Domestic and Sexual Abuse (DSA) Helpline, a free, confidential 24/7 support service for anyone impacted by domestic and/or sexual abuse in Northern Ireland. The contract was jointly awarded by the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Department for Communities. It will run for an initial three-year period, followed by two optional extension periods of two years each. 24/7 support for victims and survivors The Dom

Young Ballymena woman Chloe Mitchell who was brutally murdered in the town. The Chloe Mitchell trial will proceed after Justice Minister Naomi Long and representatives of the Criminal Bar Association reached agreement following talks aimed at resolving the current impasse within the criminal justice system. In a joint statement issued on Sunday (15 February), the Minister and the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) confirmed that an accelerated review of the fees structure will co

Inset: SDLP Councillor Malachy Quinn SDLP Councillor Malachy Quinn has expressed delight that his campaign for the introduction of Caoimhé’s Law is continuing to gather momentum, with the Justice Minister and two Northern Ireland local authorities now pledging their support. In October 2025, the Torrent DEA representative tabled a motion calling for legal restrictions on the sharing on social media of images and videos taken at the scenes of serious road traffic collisions.

Justice Minister Naomi Long pictured with Nexus NI CEO Joanne Barnes at the annual conference of charity Nexus NI, which works with survivors of abuse, and which this year had the theme ‘Unmasking sexual abuse – uncomfortable truths’. Justice Minister Naomi Long has said that sexual abuse continues to thrive in silence, secrecy and discomfort, warning that confronting it requires sustained action from everyone across society. The Minister was speaking in Belfast at the annua

Concerns over the handling of the PSNI data breach have intensified after the names of 41 serving police officers were published on publicly accessible online court lists, sparking political criticism and renewed calls for urgent action from the Justice Minister. The Department of Justice confirmed that the names appeared on the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service website in connection with civil actions linked to the PSNI data breach scandal. The department has sin

Murder victim Victor Hamilton, and the scene of the incident in Orkney Drive, Ballymena. Ulster Unionist justice spokesperson Doug Beattie MC MLA has challenged serious failures in the deportation of foreign national offenders, citing the murder of a Ballymena resident as a stark example of systemic breakdowns within Northern Ireland’s Criminal Justice System. Speaking about the killing of Victor Hamilton in July 2022, Mr Beattie said the case exposed “yet another failing” i

Former District Commander for Mid and East Antrim, Superintendent Gerry McGrath, marking Emergency Services Day at The Braid in Ballymena. Former Mid and East Antrim PSNI District Commander, Superintendent Gerry McGrath , has been appointed as a trustee of the RUC George Cross Foundation following his recent retirement from frontline policing. The appointment forms part of a wider set of board confirmations announced today (14 January) by Justice Minister Naomi Long , who has

Justice Minister Naomi Long is pictured during a visit to PSNI Organised Crime Branch with PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck and Chief Superintendent Emma Neill. The public has been urged to fully support Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers working throughout the Christmas and New Year period, as Justice Minister Naomi Long praised frontline staff for their commitment to keeping communities safe during one of the busiest times of the year. During a visit

Prison staff at Hydebank Wood College have teamed up with Start 360 and Ardoyne Youth Club in a new pilot project supporting prisoners leaving prison by providing each one with a ‘You Matter’ pack of toiletries including toothpaste, shower gel and antiperspirant as well as water and cuppa soup. Pictured are Grainne Griffith, Start 360, Seaneen Farrelly, Hydebank Wood Prisoner Development Unit Governor, and Stephen Konrad, Ardoyne YC Youth Worker. Prisoners leaving Hydebank Wo

Pictured during a visit to the Hate Crime Advocacy Service (HCAS) Justice Minister Naomi Long with Chloe Barton, Rainbow Project; Anna Pustelnik, HCAS manager; Janice Bunting, CEO Victim Support NI; Dawn McCartney, Disability Action; Jolena Flett, Head of Advocacy and Project and Lucy Fitzgerald, Policy and Communications Manager. Referrals to Northern Ireland’s Hate Crime Advocacy Service (HCAS) have increased by more than a third in the past year, with Justice Minister Naom

Emma Rose Duffy has experience volunteering with the NSPCC Young Witness Service and obtained a master’s degree in Children’s Rights, before qualifying as a solicitor in 2019. Working with the Children’s Law Centre, she promoted the rights of young people in the legal system, with a particular focus on mental health, prior to taking up the CSOLA role. A new series of awareness-raising videos has been launched by the Department of Justice to highlight a free legal advisory ser

Justice Minister Naomi Long with (from left) David Kennedy, Director of Prisons, Richard Taylor, Governor of Hydebank Wood Secure College, and Beverley Wall, Director General of the Northern Ireland Prison Service. Justice Minister Naomi Long has congratulated staff at Hydebank Wood Secure College after the South Belfast facility received a significant international award recognising its leadership in rehabilitation. The accolade, presented by the International Corrections an

A total of £259,091 has been awarded to ten community and voluntary sector projects that provide vital support for victims of domestic and sexual abuse across Northern Ireland. The funding, jointly provided by the Departments of Justice and Health under the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Small Grant Scheme, will enable organisations to deliver trauma-informed counselling, crisis intervention, and specialist legal advice to victims and survivors. Announcing the funding, Justice Min

Marking Prisons Week (13-18 October), Beverley Wall, Director General of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, visited Maghaberry Prison...