'I only remember one arrestee in a wheelchair over 20 years' says Burrows as he questions PSNI's purchase of 11 disabled-accessible vans

The Police Ombudsman announced today that the PSNI leadership has agreed to equip each of the Province’s 11 policing districts with such a van, following a complaint made against officers by someone they had arrested.

UUP leader Jon Burrows has now told the News Letter that he can only remember one detainee in a wheelchair over the course of 20 years in the police, and stressed the need for balancing accessibility with value-for-money.

It comes after years of warnings from the PSNI leadership that the force’s budget is vastly overstretched, leaving them struggling to pay for existing policing operations.

The story begins in December 2024, when officers arrested a man who uses a wheelchair at his home in Co Down.

The man subsequently made seven complaints against police, including that their vehicle was unsuitable for him to travel in.

The Police Ombudsman’s office has today released the results of its investigation.

It has not given further details about the man or said why he was arrested, if he was charged with anything, and if he was convicted.

The ombudsman rejected six of his seven complaints including that the police officers had mocked him, injured him, and “failed to consider disability, namely being in a wheelchair, by looking down when speaking”.

But it upheld his one about the police vehicle.

"The office recommended that PSNI explore the procurement of a wheelchair friendly vehicle for each district, or establish if a suitable ramp could be obtained and fitted to a cell van within each district,” the ombudsman’s office said, adding: “The PSNI accepted the recommendation.”

In a statement, assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said: “We have accepted the Police Ombudsman’s recommendation and are making improvements to our disability access for people in police custody.

“We know that a person’s arrest does not remove the need for their disability, mobility requirements and safety to be properly considered.

“We are growing our fleet to include disability-accessible transport in consultation with other UK police services and justice partners.

“We have developed a specification for a suitable vehicle, one that includes wheelchair-accessible cell facilities and ramp access, and will be seeking to award a contract this year.

“As for the wider context of this complaint, we welcome there was no evidence of misconduct by our officers but fully recognise that independent accountability is an important part of policing.

“Disabled people in police custody need to be treated safely, fairly, with dignity and showing consideration to their needs and any reasonable adjustments.”

Mr Burrows, the PSNI’s former head of discipline, told the News Letter that he can only remember one arrest of a person in a wheelchair “in more than 20 years of policing”.

"While it will occasionally happen, it is exceptionally rare, and the PSNI must be able to transport every person safely and with dignity,” he said.

“However, purchasing a wheelchair-accessible van for each of the 11 policing districts appears excessive.

"A smaller fleet, strategically located and available for deployment across Northern Ireland, should be sufficient unless the PSNI can provide compelling operational evidence otherwise, or the provision of sufficient ramps that would allow wheelchair users to be safely placed into a van when necessary.

"With policing budgets already under severe pressure, accessibility must be delivered alongside value for money.”

The PSNI was asked if it holds figures on how many people it arrests in wheelchairs, but said this would require a Freedom of Information request, which can take up to a month to deal with.

Asked if there had ever been a similar complaint from another wheelchair user, the ombudsman’s office said: “We are not aware of any previous similar complaints.”