More officers on NI streets

Published Thursday, 24 March 2011

The Policing Board has released a three-year policing plan that will mean more officers on the streets across Northern Ireland.

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Police officers will spend an extra half hour of each shift on the beat under new targets to make the PSNI more visible on the streets.

Policemen and women will also be given more discretion to resolve low level incidents on the spot rather than resort to the courts.

The Plan 2011-2014 has been agreed in conjunction with Chief Constable Matt Baggott and justice minister David Ford.

Acting board chair Brian Rea said the plan fell under three key policing objectives: personal policing - dealing with local concerns; professional policing - delivering an excellent service; and protective policing - tackling serious harm.

"The year ahead will also bring significant challenges for policing in Northern Ireland and the current economic situation undoubtedly will impact on all public services and resource priorities. We also continue to be mindful of the environment in which the Police Service operates and the threat that exists.

Mr Ford said: "Policing is delivered best when it is delivered locally, in partnership with, and supported by, the local community.

Mr Baggott said the plan was vitally important.

"It captures the ambitions agreed by both us and the Policing Board," he said.

The Chief Constable added: "In the coming weeks, we will also launch a set of commitments that will underpin our delivery of personal policing. They outline what you can expect from us when you ask us for help, and will enable us to be held to account for the delivery of personal policing across all communities".

"Policing here is delivering positive results, and is essential to future investment, the well-being of young people and to creating a more confident Northern Ireland."

Last month the Treasury agreed to provide the PSNI with an extra £200m, on top of an additional £45m from the Stormont executive, to help tackle the dissident threat.

Comments

16 Comments

OldSod in Fermanagh wrote (423 days ago):

Thats alright Frosty, your last comment is at least making a point, but it is very different from your previous comment. Stevie, you could say that for most patrols, but without a crystal ball what would you have them do? Police have a lot of ground to cover and while I also see the appeal of foot patrols, they are not much good when an urgent call for help comes in a mile away or more or the criminals are in vehicles etc. As for the whole accountability, imagine that you had several dozen bodies from different political, community, state, legal and special interest backgrounds scrutinising your work, each having a different opinion of what you should be doing and how you should do it, some of whom are only there to try frustrate your work, because their agenda conflicts yours. Then include an Ombudsman, who can be called upon by any tom dick or harry who disagree with how you have done your work, for any slight real or imagined, then maybe you might understand why many police "play it safe", over-record and lack confidence. Confidence is further eroded by a legal system that operates a catch and release revolving door justice system. Read the article about the petrol bomber getting a suspended sentence. I'd imagine it would be like building a brick wall only to have someone else removing every brick you set a minute after you set it.

tomc in Belfast wrote (424 days ago):

Stevie, what undermines an officer's self confidence is that if any random person makes a complaint about an officer to the ombudsman it's investigated to the neck....now by complaint i mean any negative comment. Take for example the officer who reminds a speeding driver that they have children in the car and that if only for that reason, keep their speed down. The driver rings the ombudsman and complains that this was patronising. That will be investigated, officer interviewed, notebook examined, etc.....now is that what we as a society want our money and time spent looking into? That very example is what happened to a person I know. Now if you were to be questioned on absolutely everything that you do would your confidence not suffer?.....for me it'd question getting up and going to do the job in the first place. If people actually saw the obstacles placed in the way of the police which prevent them from doing the job and taking action in a way that the ordinary person on the street wants, if they knew the real numbers allocated to cover certain areas, they'd cry with despair and the criminals would be laughing all the way to their next crime. Baggot, his management team and the Policing Board, should hang their heads in shame.

stevie in belfast wrote (424 days ago):

@ Declan, How is my post sectarian in any way?, Where did i mention religion?, Are you claiming the police are only for one side of the community?. Those days are gone or hav'nt you noticed. Can you provide a link to back up your claims that the psni are the most accountable in the world?, or did you just copy that from oldsods post?. @ Oldsod, I was'nt looking out of my window, they drove past me in the street to perform this 30 second patrol, this in my opinion was a waste of time and they should have just stayed in the station. You say that it is a FACT they are the most accountable police force in the world and this impacts on their self confidence, why is this?. Surely if they were doing their jobs properly and without prejudice then they would have nothing to worry about and no reason to.

Frosty in Here wrote (424 days ago):

OldSold, I was merely commenting on the fact that the police used to patrol our estates, whereas now I only see the local paramilitaries doing it. Sorry if that's a cliche.

Bob in belfast wrote (424 days ago):

In a week from now, the FTR will be gone (most of whom are currently employed in front line policing, neighbourhood teams and TSGs). The last batch of those taking redundancy will be gone also. Again, quite a few of whom are front line officers. All in all, several hundred men and women leaving within a matter of weeks. Add to this the idea of officers having to sit in the station and phone "victims" to update them, how exactly is this putting more officers on the street? Orwellian doublespeak at its finest. Or just simple lies by the chief constable and his team? Meanwhile those few officers left have more paperwork to complete, more hoops to jump through, more bureaucracy put in their way to make them more accountable. You couldn't make it up.

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