Concerns have been raised after it emerged that the PSNI has visited children’s homes on more than 5,000 occasions in the past 12 months and made almost 300 arrests.
The Children’s Law Centre (CLC) said the attendance of police at children’s facilities “requires urgent review”. Details emerged in response to a question from Policing Board member Les Allamby this month.
The former Director of Law Centre (NI) and Chief Commissioner of the NI Human Rights Commission had asked how many times the PSNI had visited children’s general children’s homes and specialist facilities.
In response, the PSNI said while it was unable to differentiate between the two, it visited children’s homes 5,092 times in the last 12 months.
Police also provided a breakdown of figures for several named facilities, including Lakewood Regional Secure Care Centre in Bangor, Co Down.
Over the past 12 months officers have visited 142 times.
Police also attended Beechcroft Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit in Castlereagh 74 times.
There were also 99 call outs to foster placements.
While police said its systems do not record how many children were formally interviewed, the force confirmed that 285 were arrested at homes in the last financial year.
Concerns have been raised in recent weeks over the life chances of children being ruined by being hauled before the courts.
Children’s Commissioner Chris Quinn was speaking after a spike in the number of very young children, some aged aged just 10, being arrested.