Statement

DUP WILL FIGHT FOR PROPER POLICE RESOURCES

Posted on: July 8, 2009

As a result of comments made by the Chief Constable, the imminent debate on the Estates Strategy and comments at the weekend by the new Police Board Chairman Mr. Barry Gilligan, there has been considerable debate about policing resources.   The DUP will vigorously oppose any resource changes which will have a negative impact on the quality of policing in Northern Ireland.  

The people of Northern Ireland deserve a highest standard of protection against the threat of crime.  The DUP will not be supporting any reduction in police resources nor any reduction in the compliment of police numbers.  Northern Ireland has not withstood the ravages of the Troubles just to allow people to be abandoned to the mercies of criminal elements.  

The DUP will support calls for police deployment to be used more effectively.  It is common sense that whatever officers can be released from behind desks to frontline services should be released, but this cannot be used as a pretext to cut the size of the Police Service. Northern Ireland may have a higher number of officers per head of population than other areas of the United Kingdom but there should not be ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to policing.  We will not be throwing the towel in over any proposed reductions. 

Similarly, despite progress towards normalisation, there are elements in our society, namely dissident republicans, who are trying to drag us back to the violence of the past. Communities must not be left vulnerable to these people, either by the removal of the Full-Time Reserve, or by accepting a cull of Police Stations, particularly in border areas.  The DUP, the only unionist Party to speak against the axing of the Full-Time Reserve at the Policing Board meeting when the matter was discussed, has opposed this in the Assembly, directly with the Chief Constable and Peter Robinson has given a stark message to the Prime Minister about seriousness of this situation.   

An outgoing Chief Constable is not the person to make such key decisions about policing resources as he will not have to live with the results of the cuts.  Previously, the Chief Constable had stated that he will ensure that all non-operational officers are put out on the frontline, to make certain that there will be no change to frontline response and negative impact on service delivery.  If this is to be the case, questions must be raised as to why these non-operational officers were not put out on the frontline long ago. 

There will be a battle ahead on ensuring that there are adequate resources for policing into the future. While we will support any moves which uses those resources effectively and efficiently, we will not meekly accept a reduction in the overall level of financial support. Rather we will be pressing Government to ensure that the gaps in funding for policing are met.  

As we battle for further resources, it is a time for determination rather than defeatism.  The DUP would urge everyone to put their shoulder to the wheel and join us in the fight for a fair level of policing in Northern Ireland.