New PSNI Connect platform opens this week to residents in Ballymena and across Northern Ireland
Tuesday 29 September 2026
People in Ballymena and across Northern Ireland will be able to contact neighbourhood police, raise local concerns and help shape policing priorities through a free platform rolling out on Thursday 1 October.
PSNI Connect will allow residents, businesses and community groups to receive updates from local officers and feedback on how police are addressing issues in their area.
Users can choose which information they receive, including crime prevention advice, local appeals and details of events. However, the platform must not be used to report crimes or incidents.
Private contact with neighbourhood police
Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the platform would connect people with officers working in the places where they live, work or regularly visit.
He said:
“By signing up to PSNI Connect, you will have direct contact with neighbourhood officers working in the area where you live, work or frequent. Updates and information will be shared about the work local police are doing, along with crime prevention advice, local appeals for information and ongoing events in your local area.
“You will also be able to complete local surveys to tell police what impacts you, share feedback and help shape local policing priorities. All contact is private, it cannot be viewed by anyone else in the community and therefore you will not receive any unwanted commentary. No one will know you are signed up to the platform.
“PSNI Connect gives you a voice around what happens in your local community.”
Expansion follows initial district launch
The Northern Ireland-wide rollout follows an initial launch in Lisburn and Castlereagh and Newry, Mourne and Down at the end of June. Around 1,500 people have signed up across those two districts, according to Superintendent Joanne Gibson, who leads the project.
A launch event at the Dunadry Hotel in Antrim on Tuesday 29 September brought together around 120 stakeholders, including representatives from policing and community safety partnerships, education, housing and sport.
The platform was funded by the Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime to support greater community involvement. Officers involved in the initial rollout and colleagues with experience of similar projects elsewhere in the UK shared lessons at the event.
Helping shape local policing priorities
Superintendent Gibson said:
“PSNI Connect is about ‘Connecting communities, building confidence’. We want to work with communities across Northern Ireland to help prevent and deter crime. We want to work in partnership to solve the issues that are impacting communities most.”
She encouraged people to register and choose the information most relevant to them.
“We want people to get involved and sign up, so be a part of that. When you do sign up you can decide which information you want to receive from us and which information you’re not interested in. You can help shape PSNI Connect as it continues to evolve and grow throughout Northern Ireland.”
How to sign up and report an incident
Residents, businesses and community groups can sign up at www.psniconnect.co.uk.
Anyone who has been the victim or witness of a crime or incident should use the PSNI’s reporting channels rather than PSNI Connect. Non-emergency incidents can be reported online at www.psni.police.uk/report or by calling 101. In an emergency, call 999.
