A PSNI spokesperson said: “For justice to be seen to be done, we want to communicate to the public, by all means available, of positive criminal justice outcomes in their communities.
“This can be achieved through our news releases post-sentencing, and now, the release of the defendants’ custody images as part of this information supplied to the media.”
The spokesperson said this would be “in line with other police services across the UK and in accordance with legislation applicable in Northern Ireland, police service policy, European Convention on Human Rights and data protection principles”.
“This will be an effective way to build confidence among communities, act as a deterrent to offenders and provide reassurance about the proactive steps police are taking to bring perpetrators before the courts,” they added.