NEWS

Saturday 14 November 2026 Residents evacuated during a security alert in the Moorfields Road area of Ballymena can return home, with all roads reopened and police confirming there is no ongoing risk to the public. The alert followed the discovery of a suspicious object during a planned police search at a property on Friday, 13 November. Ammunition Technical Officers attended the scene, and the object was removed for forensic examination along with a number of additional items

Friday 13 November 2026 Two PSNI officers have been dismissed after vulnerable members of the public, including people experiencing mental health crises, were secretly filmed, photographed and subjected to degrading and sexualised comments by officers who had been sent to help them. A Police Ombudsman investigation uncovered images, videos and messages relating to 18 people on the personal mobile phones of one officer, spanning five years between 2016 and 2021. Some material

Police Ombudsman office in Belfast Wednesday 11 November 2026 Allegations of police officers exploiting vulnerable women for sexual purposes now account for around one third of the Police Ombudsman’s most serious investigations in Northern Ireland, an Assembly committee has been told. The disturbing scale of the problem emerged as MLAs examined findings of an investigation into officers allegedly abusing their positions of authority to pursue sexual or inappropriate emotional

Wednesday 11 November 2026 More than 300 schools across Northern Ireland have reported receiving a threatening email this morning, with police treating the message as a hoax and assessing the risk to the public as low. Police said checks had not found anything untoward at this stage. Enquiries are continuing into the identical message, which police said originated outside the UK. The assessment is based on enquiries and information available so far. Police also believe some s

Tuesday 10 November 2026 Detectives are appealing for witnesses after a masked man reportedly pointed a gun at a woman in Antrim on Tuesday morning (10 November), before fleeing the scene on an electric bicycle. The frightening incident was reported to police shortly after 8.40am in the Greenvale Drive area of the town. Police say the suspect produced what was described as a firearm and pointed it at the woman before making off. Masked suspect fled on electric bicycle Detecti

Tuesday 10 November 2026 A woman in her 80s has died following a road traffic collision involving a car in Newtownards, police have confirmed. The woman was seriously injured after being struck in a collision involving a white Mercedes C200 on Circular Road on Thursday 5 November. Emergency services attended the scene shortly after 5.30pm, with the injured pedestrian taken to hospital for treatment. Police have now confirmed that she has died as a result of her injuries. Poli

Crumlin War Memorial where wreaths were stolen following Sunday’s commemorations. Monday 09 November 2026 Police are appealing for information after poppy wreaths were stolen from Crumlin War Memorial Park, with some recovered nearby and others still missing. The wreaths were taken from the memorial beside the Leisure Centre. According to Ulster Unionist Party representative Ryan Kirkpatrick, the incident happened overnight, within 24 hours of a remembrance service. Police sa

Monday 09 November 2026 Mid and East Antrim is among the UK’s top 20 areas for the highest percentage of uninsured vehicles, according to Motor Insurers’ Bureau data cited by police as a week-long enforcement campaign begins. Operation Drive Insured runs across Northern Ireland from today, Monday 9 November, until Sunday 15 November, with officers checking that drivers have appropriate cover for their vehicles and how they use them. Police have seized 2,246 uninsured vehicles

Jailed: 42-year-old William Wylie for involvement in Ballymena riots in summer 2025 Monday 09 November 2026 A Ballymena rioter identified after removing his balaclava and by a tattoo on his hand has been sentenced to 28 months, with half to be served in custody. William Wylie, 42, was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court on Friday 6 November for the offence of riot. He will serve 14 months in custody and a further 14 months on licence. He was involved in disorder at Harryville Bri

Saturday 07 November 2026 Thirty-six new PSNI officers are preparing to serve in districts across Northern Ireland after completing their initial training during the police service’s 25th anniversary week. The officers took their oath at an attestation ceremony at the Police College in Garnerville, east Belfast, on Friday 6 November, watched by their families. Having entered the college in June and completed a 22-week course, they will now begin two years of probation, with m

Murdered: 27-year-old Sarah Montgomery Friday 6 November 2026 A 29-year-old man who brutally murdered his pregnant partner in her Donaghadee home, killing her and her unborn child, has been told he must serve at least 20 years in prison. Zak Hughes appeared before Belfast Crown Court on Friday 6 November, where the minimum term of his life sentence was set for the murder of 27-year-old Sarah Montgomery. Sarah, a mother of two young children, was 32 weeks pregnant with her thi

Thursday 5 November 2026 A security alert in Randalstown has ended after a suspected historic munition discovered in a shed outside a house was examined by ammunition experts and declared viable. Police were alerted to the discovery in the Portglenone Road area shortly before 4.30pm on Thursday, 5 November. Road closures were put in place as a precaution, while the homeowner was evacuated from the property. Munition removed for destruction Ammunition Technical Officers attend

20-year-old Ballymena man Calum Bell Thursday 5 November 2026 A 20-year-old Ballymena man has been sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in the June 2025 riots, including attacks on residential properties during the serious disorder that gripped the town. Calum Bell was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court on Thursday (5 November) after being convicted of riot, intentionally encouraging or assisting riot, and burglary with intent to cause unlawful damage. He receiv

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton Share personal stories with podcast host Lata Sharma Wednesday 4 November 2026 The Police Service of Northern Ireland is marking its 25th anniversary with a special podcast featuring its two most senior officers, reflecting on the organisation’s beginnings, the challenges of policing and the importance of attracting recruits from across the community. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and Deputy Chief Constabl

County Antrim man Dean Patton went missing 14 years ago Wednesday 4 November 2026 Police have renewed their appeal for information about a Portrush man who vanished more than 14 years ago, urging anyone who visited the north coast during the summer of 2012 to consider whether they may hold a vital clue. Dean Patton was just 24 years old when he was last seen in the Main Street area of Portrush on the afternoon of Tuesday 24 July 2012. His disappearance remains the subject of

Jailed: 21-year-old Ballymena man Jacob Sharp Wednesday 4 November 2026 A 21-year-old Ballymena man has been sentenced to 28 months in prison after attacking police officers with bricks during the serious disorder that engulfed the town in June 2025. Jacob Sharp, from Ballymena, was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court on Wednesday 4 November after being convicted of riot. He will serve 14 months in custody, with the remaining 14 months on licence. Police footage captured sustaine

The local constables with Baby Benedykt Wednesday 4 November 2026 Two Ballymena police officers found themselves taking on an unexpected role when they helped deliver a baby in the back of a car after being flagged down by an expectant father in the early hours of the morning. The two constables were approached at around 3.30am on Friday 9 October, when it became clear there was no time for the family to reach hospital before their baby arrived. Instead, the officers stepped

Tuesday 3 November 2026 Parents, guardians and carers across Northern Ireland are being urged to carefully check children's Halloween treats after a sewing needle was discovered inside a wrapped chocolate bar in the Rathfriland area of County Down. Police received a report of the discovery on Tuesday 3 November and have issued a public safety warning, advising families to inspect sweets collected during trick-or-treating before allowing children to eat them. No injuries have

Missing Bushmills man Mark Dinsmore Monday 02 November 2026 Police searching for missing Bushmills man Mark Dinsmore have issued a direct appeal to two members of the public who they believe may have helped him from his car following a road traffic collision in Ballymoney. The 50-year-old has not been in contact with family or friends since Saturday 24 October, when his grey Audi A4 was involved in a collision with a grey Nissan Juke on the Ballybogey Road at around 6pm. Offi

Graffiti sprayed on Rasharkin Orange Hall in July Monday 2 November 2026 Members of an Orange lodge in Rasharkin say decades of sectarian attacks have left them afraid to celebrate their culture openly, with their hall targeted in 51 incidents over the past 30 years. The claims have prompted renewed scrutiny of the police response, with North Antrim MP Jim Allister demanding greater accountability from the PSNI after lodge members publicly described the impact of repeated int