Around 1,500 crimes took place on one ward of a hospital in Northern Ireland, CCTV footage has revealed.
The series of “very traumatic events” took place in Muckamore Abbey hospital over the course of six months between 2017-2018, according to detectives.
Northern Ireland Police are currently investigating allegations around the physical and mental abuse of patients in the hospital’s Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit.
Muckamore Abbey states on its website that it provides treatment for people with “severe learning disabilities, mental health needs or challenging behaviour”.
Twenty staff, mainly nurses, have been suspended at the hospital since accusations of wrongdoing first surfaced 2017, the BBC reported.
In a statement shared with the Standard, the officer leading the investigation called it “extremely complex” and said it involved “just over 400 incidents.”
Detective Chief Inspector Jill Duffie said: “We are working through every single report and every single minute of over 300,000 hours of CCTV footage to bring anyone guilty of any criminal offences before the courts,” she said.
“This will take some time but we need to take that time to ensure we carry out a thorough investigation.
She said a specialist team was set up last year to investigate the allegations and review the CCTV footage.
“To date this footage has identified 1,500 crimes which largely relates to the physical abuse of patients, wilful neglect of patients and inappropriate use of seclusion,” Det Ch Insp Duffie explained.
“We will continue to work through the CCTV diligently minute by minute to ensure nothing is missed and that we get a full picture of what exactly happened."
In an interview with the Irish News, Det Ch Insp Duffie described it as the "largest adult safeguarding case" of its kind undertaken by Northern Ireland’s police service (PSNI).
She said police were examining a series of "very traumatic events" shown in the 300,000-hour footage.
"Over the period of six months we are looking at a pattern of very traumatic events,” she told BBC Radio Ulster.
"We have seen the repeated pattern of physical and mental abuse of the patients contained within that ward.
"These patients would not normally have been able to tell anyone what was happening to them. And that is why it is so crucial in this case that we have the CCTV evidence."
The PSNI said it had been in "regular contact" with the families affected from the outset.
“We have been committed to working closely with them, with the aim of keeping them as informed as much as we possibly can and we will continue to do so,” Det Ch Insp Duffie added in her statement.
“I am very conscious of the trauma and impact upon the families whose loved ones are at the centre of this investigation.
“The protection of our most vulnerable is a priority for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.”
Allegations of ill treatment began to surface at Muckamore in November 2017 when it was revealed four staff members had been suspended.
In August 2018, BBC News NI reported there had been 53 assaults on patients by staff reported at the hospital - five of which were investigated and acted upon.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Gavin Robinson repeated his call for a public inquiry into the Belfast Health Trust's handling of the "sorry catalogue of abuse" at the hospital.
"Candour has been severely lacking," he wrote in an article on the party's website.
"Every element of this horror story must be reviewed. Every system. Every decision."
Earlier this month, Northern Ireland's health regulator, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), took action against the Belfast Health Trust over care standards at the facility.
The RQIA said it had been working with the trust since February and had issued enforcement notices about staffing and nurse provision, as well as adult safeguarding and patient finances.
The Belfast Health Trust acknowledged the improvement notices and said it and its sister organisations across health and social care were working to develop a model of care "which is receptive to the changing needs of patients".
