PSNI condemn ‘totally unacceptable’ assaults after 14 officers injured across South Area

Fourteen police officers were assaulted across the PSNI’s South Area over the course of Friday evening and Saturday morning, including two officers injured when their patrol vehicle was deliberately rammed in Forkhill.

The scale of the assaults has been described as “totally unacceptable” by senior officers, with one officer requiring hospital treatment after sustaining a bite injury during the incidents.

The South Area covers the policing districts of Newry, Mourne and Down; Mid Ulster; Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon; and Fermanagh and Omagh.

Among the most serious incidents occurred in the early hours of Saturday, December 27, when a police patrol car was rammed on Church Road in Forkhill.

Chief Inspector Adam Ruston said the collision took place at around 1.40am when a silver Renault Megane struck the patrol vehicle while officers were on duty.

“At around 1.40am a silver Renault Megane collided with a police car on patrol in the area. The vehicle failed to stop and then fled across the border,” he said.

“As a result, two officers were injured and the patrol vehicle sustained damage which will render it unusable for the foreseeable.”

The vehicle involved did not remain at the scene and crossed the border shortly after the collision, prompting an urgent cross-border line of enquiry.

Chief Inspector Ruston said the volume and severity of assaults over the weekend placed both officers and the public at significant risk.

“This a shocking amount of assaults on police and it is totally unacceptable. This type of behaviour places members of the public and our officers at risk of serious harm and we are lucky not to be dealing with serious injuries,” he said.

The incidents have once again highlighted the dangers faced by frontline officers, particularly during late-night and early-morning patrols, where police are often responding to volatile situations with limited warning.

Police are now appealing to the public for assistance in identifying the vehicle involved in the Forkhill collision.

“I am appealing to anyone who may have seen the silver Renault Megane in the area, or who may have any information or dash-cam footage that could assist with enquiries, to contact police urgently via 101 quoting reference number 139 of 27/12/25,” Chief Inspector Ruston added.

A report can also be made using the PSNI’s online reporting form at www.psni.police.uk/makeareport.

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.