Launch of Rural Crime Unit at Balmoral Show

Yesterday morning I had the pleasure of visiting the new venue for the Balmoral Show at the Maze site near Lisburn. I would like to congratulate the organisers for what is an excellent venue and show.

My primary reason for being there was to jointly launch the new Rural Crime Unit with the Minister of Justice, David Ford. The very last thing farmers need right now, with everything else that is going on, is to suffer loss or damage at the hands of criminals.

The Unit, with financial support from the Department of Justice and NFU Mutual, will enable the Police Service to dedicate resources to focusing exclusively on rural crime. The Unit will liaise with police across Northern Ireland to provide a co-ordinated response to this issue. There are many initiatives to help and protect the farming community already in place and this new Unit is a very welcome development. It will provide additional support to farmers and assist us in directing resources to where they are needed most. To find out more about how to prevent rural crime visit http://www.psni.police.uk/directory/crime-prevention/farmyard_security.htm or contact your local Crime Prevention Officer who will be very happy to provide you with information and advice.

In stark contrast not that far away from the Show, terrorists were in the final stages of mounting a murder attempt on police officers who, like their colleagues at Balmoral Park, were out in the community delivering a service and working to keep people safe. Thankfully the officers were uninjured but those who carried out this attack showed a blatant disregard for the safety of those who live in that area. When you see images of bullet holes in parked cars it shows not just what a lucky escape local residents had, but also the recklessness of the terrorists. There is no such thing as a responsible or acceptable attack on police, but this attack was particularly indiscriminate. However, despite this potentially murderous attack, those officers and their colleagues are back out again today, undeterred, supporting and protecting communities.

Whether it’s preventing rural crime or detecting those responsible for acts of terror, your support is critical in the form of information and reporting suspicious activity. Our desire, and ability, to provide the finest personal, professional and protective policing service is greatly enhanced when the police and communities work together. With your help and support we will continue to make a difference.

Recent visit to Belfast Royal Academy

I had the pleasure of revisiting one of my old schools last week. I had been invited to speak with a group of sixth formers, all of whom happened to be girls. 

I had been invited by Eddie McCamley, my former history teacher. Although no longer teaching, he now spends his retirement assisting the school to connect with former pupils.

I'll not tell you exactly what year I left Belfast Royal Academy, but it was lovely to be back and as I walked through the school it brought back many old memories.  Belfast Royal Academy is the oldest school in Belfast, established in 1785 in what is now the Academy Street area.  It moved to its current site on the Cliftonville Road in 1880.

I had only been at the school up until 3rd year, as it was known then, but living at the time at the top of the New Lodge Road, during some of the most troubled years, it was a sanctuary for the many young people who went there.  I noted the diversity of the school now, and it was great to see young people from a wide range of cultures and communities learning together in an atmosphere of tolerance and respect.  

I was reminded of the day that there was trouble in the area and the Headmaster of the time personally walked my sister and I along the Antrim Road to make sure that we got home safely.  I was more concerned about being seen under the escort of the Headmaster than being harmed by any trouble that was going on.  On reflection I was very grateful to him for such care and consideration.  It was perhaps an indication of a teacher's standing at that time that he could march us unscathed down the Cliftonville Road towards home. 

I had been asked to share my career experiences with the group of girls and then to take some questions.  It always amazes me how interested, informed and challenging a group like this can be. Their questions were refreshingly direct, frank, insightful and thoughtful. 

One thing that was clear , there was an appetite amongst a number of them considering a career in policing.  They were interested to hear more about when we will be recruiting, what the selection criteria would be and what was required during training.  I was able to let them know that we would be seeking to recruit again in the near future.

They also asked about balancing a family life with a policing career and how I had coped with the various challenges over my 31 years policing experience.  I was able to reassure them that despite all the challenges, past and present, I did try to live a relatively normal life outside of the day job. 

It was lovely also to catch up afterwards with the Headmaster, Mr Dickson, and to share reflections on our school days.  In this regard it is important that I pay tribute to those teachers who had such an important influence on me, both at Belfast Royal Academy and later at Regent House School, Newtownards in my formative years.  We sometimes forget what an important and influential job teachers have, in particular those who work so hard across communities to bring children together in an atmosphere of understanding and mutual respect.  Such early investments, I am convinced, can have long term rewards.

Remembering the victims and the people of Boston

The sympathy of all right thinking people will be with the people of Boston at this time and in particular those who have lost family and friends and those who have been seriously injured.

The presence of so many cameras and 'live time' reporting brings the devastation, terror and tragedy of these attacks right into our living rooms.

It's only natural after such an horrific attack that people start to think about major sporting and other events which could become targets for similar acts of terror.  The Metropolitan Police have been working hard to reassure competitors taking part in the London Marathon this week in relation to their security plans and of course we have our own Belfast Marathon coming up in just a few weeks time.

Sadly we are very used to planning major events in a style which fully considers the reality of a terror attack.  All these events will be risk assessed and a proportionate policing operation put in place consistent with the risk.  However, the possibility of an attack by terrorists is always a consideration not just on the event itself but on the police resources facilitating it.  This is just a reality of policing Northern Ireland in the face of a severe terrorist threat.

I want to reassure you that over the next few months during the G8 Summit, World Police and Fire Games, UK City of Culture and other major events, we will be continuing to plan with contingencies in mind.  We will also be working, in so far as is humanly possible, to ensure that competitors, spectators, officials, volunteers and police officers are safe and feel safe.  Recent arrests and the recovery of firearms and explosives show our very clear determination to do so.

It is vitally important that we also have your support.  You are our extra set of 'eyes and ears' as you go about your normal daily business and we rely on your support to keep people safe.  I know this will not deter you from your plans to participate in sporting and other major events in the future, and your encouragement of those who have worked so hard to organise these fantastic spectacles is so important.  I am sure that the people of Boston are as determined as ever to show that they will not be deterred by these attacks, just as we have shown in Northern Ireland that neither will we.

15 years on from the Good Friday Agreement

 

If you have been listening to the news this morning, I am sure that it will not have escaped your notice that today is the fifteenth anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement - 10th April 1998.

 

One of the major success stories of the agreement has been the evolution to a policing service that is much more representative of the community. And whilst there are still major challenges, the environment in which we now work and support we have from communities across Northern Ireland means we are able to develop our focus on policing with the community, working in partnership with our local communities.

 

It is appropriate to pay tribute to those in the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC who paved the way for such changes and to the many who helped deliver them. We are today a very different police service from that of 15 years ago.

 

I look forward to reading The Community Relations Council's latest '2013 Peace Monitoring' report in detail when it is published later today. One of the headlines being used ahead of publication is 'Northern Ireland has most difficult year in decade'. From a policing perspective, I can say that it has certainly been one of the most challenging years for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. We have a great deal of experience in dealing with many and varied challenges, but the protracted nature of recent challenges have been particularly difficult.

 

We have of course still the G8 Summit, World Police and Fire Games, the UK City of Culture and the All Ireland Fleadh ahead of us. We will be working very hard with communities and partners to successfully and safely deliver these major events.

 

There is absolutely no doubt that Northern Ireland has been transformed since 1998. We still have some way to go and recent events have shown that there is still much 'unfinished business' of the peace process. By way of one example, this afternoon I will chair the PSNI Legacy Group, a monthly meeting to monitor and manage the PSNI's legal responsibilities to respond to the legacy of the past - and whilst relatives of those killed during the Troubles want and deserve answers to their questions, the absence of any agreed way forward on the past continues to place a significant burden on the time and resources of your Police Service.

 

I am an optimist, if I wasn't I would have very clearly picked the wrong job. As a police officer you have to believe that tomorrow can be better and perhaps as we all reflect back to where we were 15 years ago we can see that the optimists were right.

 

Your Police Service has delivered much and whilst we do not get it right all the time the increase in community support, coupled with greater confidence and lower crime figures, has all been delivered against the backdrop of an ongoing terrorist threat and very significant operational challenges. I believe this demonstrates our determination to deliver the very finest personal, professional and protective policing service possible.

 

If we all continue to work together to build on the progress of the past 15 years, potentially the next 15 could be every bit as significant.

Policing in Extreme Conditions

This week has brought some of the most horrendous weather conditions for many people living across Northern Ireland. I certainly cannot ever remember experiencing as much snow in my lifetime. You couldn’t help but be moved by the accounts on our television screens of desperate farmers talking about being helpless to save the lives of many of their livestock. In this context, it is good to learn that the Executive has agreed a package to help those affected farmers.

I am also aware of many families who found themselves cut off and feeling very isolated with no electricity and dwindling food supplies. I want to pay tribute to everyone who worked around the clock and in the most extreme conditions to help those who found themselves in this very difficult position.

In particular, I want to acknowledge the work of my colleagues in our Search and Rescue Team and Air Support Unit. On Monday morning, I visited the operations room from where the multi agency response had been co-ordinated over the weekend. I heard of a number of examples where colleagues had used snow shoes to walk miles into snow bound areas, in the dark, to deliver critical food and medical supplies. Our Air Support Unit also delivered food and medical supplies, including oxygen to a gentleman who had almost run out, and air lifted a number of people from their homes to hospital for medical attention. And even just last night, members of the Services Search and Rescue Team were involved, along with North West Mountain Rescue and the Irish Army Air Corps and Irish Coastguard helicopters, in rescuing two young men who had got into difficultly whilst climbing in a gully on the Binevenagh Mountain near Limavady. Two members of the Team had to abseil down into the gully in heavy snow and ice to assist the men who were then airlifted by the Irish Air Corps to safety.  

I know too that many other statutory and voluntary agencies also helped to ensure that people were kept safe. The community spirit in areas was critical as people used diggers to help neighbours by clearing roads to those areas cut off by deep snow drifts.

In stark contrast, whilst we were helping communities deal with the extreme weather conditions, colleagues in Fermanagh were dealing with an abandoned car bomb near Derrylin. I utterly condemn those responsible and thank the local community for their support during the disruption which lasted a number of days. Those people who planned this attack have nothing to offer the people of Fermanagh or Northern Ireland and it would be our assessment that an increased security presence in the area has thwarted this reckless and deadly attack.

Policing has many challenges, and whether it is dealing with extreme weather conditions or acts of terror your Police Service will continue to do absolutely everything it can to ensure that we keep people safe, and deliver that personal, professional and protective policing service that our communities want and deserve.

Personal Policing

It’s been a busy week, but one of the things that makes a policing career so enjoyable, interesting and challenging is that no one week is ever the same.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to visit Lisnaskea and patrol with members of the local Neighbourhood Policing Team.  Lisnaskea is a thriving rural town, albeit feeling the pinch like many other towns across Northern Ireland, but I was able to take the chance to speak with a number of the local business owners.   What always impresses me about rural towns is that there are always a few police officers who have been there for a very long time and know absolutely everyone and everyone knows them. This for me is exactly what good community policing is all about, long term relationships with local police officers known by name and who have a reputation for delivering a good policing service to the local community. I was also hearing about the very effective relationships on the ground with our colleagues in An Garda Síochána. This is very important given its close proximity to the border.

Yesterday morning I had the privilege of being invited to speak to the assembly at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, or Inst as most of us know it.  Over one thousand boys and staff gathered in their assembly hall. This was a great opportunity and I want to thank Janet Williamson, their principal, for the invitation. One of the strap lines I used in my address was ‘It’s the real thing’ and how life is not a dress rehearsal, you only get one chance and you need to make the best of it. Who knows I might even have been addressing a future Chief Constable!

I have also been dealing with the fallout of the errors made by the external Design Team in relation to the costings around the new NI Community Safety College at Desertcreat. As Chair of the Programme Board, I can assure you, the difficulties which we are currently working through with Health and Justice Departments and the three services (Police, Fire and Rescue and Prisons) are not show stoppers and whilst the opening of the College may now be delayed for a few months, into early 2016, it is very much still a reality.

Despite all the unique challenges the Police Service faces, our goal of delivering the finest personal, professional and protective service remains our priority. The events of last week, with the failed mortar attack on New Barnsley station, will not deflect us from this challenge.  Even this morning there is an ongoing security incident outside Enniskillen.  The vast majority of people support policing and with your support we can make communities better and safer. The mindless actions of those who totally disregard the safety of others must be frustrated, prevented and detected. The people who left the mortar bomb at New Barnsley have nothing positive to offer. There was absolutely no guarantee that the potentially deadly device would not miss its target and hit homes, schools or businesses in the nearby area.

With your help and support we will continue to work tirelessly to thwart acts of terror and criminality and continue to make your local community a better and safer place to live.

 

International Women's Day

This day has been observed since the early 1900's when there was great expansion and turbulence in the industrialised world that saw population growth and a rise in radical ideologies.  Of course much has changed and on this day annually thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and to celebrate their achievements.  Indeed in my lifetime there have been significant 'firsts'; female astronauts, Prime Ministers, Chief Police Officers and others in senior positions in the public service.  There has also been new legislation and work place practices that support women to work and have a family, and enjoy greater career choices.

In recognition of this day, I am taking the opportunity to meet briefly this afternoon with a number of my female colleagues to hear more about their role and experiences within the Service.  Things are very different now to when I joined 31 years ago, and many of these women will also have seen a sea change in the opportunities available to women within the Police Service.

It is also difficult on such a day to not think about the violence and abuse suffered by women.  Sadly whilst the law affords females greater protection now than at probably any time before, violence against and the exploitation of women is still common place locally, nationally and internationally.

I was appalled to listen to the Prime Minister speak earlier this week about the risk to young women and girls in the United Kingdom from female genital mutilation.  It is estimated that worldwide 140 million women, most of them young girls, have experienced this barbaric and inhumane practice.  It is just unbelievable that in some countries this practice is actually legalised.  The UK government is hoping to reduce the practice by 30%, home and abroad, over the next five years and this is to be welcomed.  Whilst I am not aware of any identified cases of this nature within Northern Ireland, I have no doubt that it is a possibility.  The Police Service of Northern Ireland have officers who have been trained to deal with these hugely sensitive crimes and can support investigations and victims accordingly.

Recent successes in the fight against human traffickers in Northern Ireland are also to be welcomed.  I know that great efforts have been made by my colleagues in Crime Operations Department to make Northern Ireland a hostile place for these organised criminals.  In the past few years the Police Service of Northern Ireland has rescued over 80 victims of human trafficking.  This is an ever emerging issue which ultimately funds the activities of serious and organised crime gangs.  We constantly  look for signs of this activity as we go about our daily duties.

You may ask yourself as a concerned member of the public of Northern Ireland what can I do about these terrible crimes, and how can I assist and support the police?   We know that there are many people who see and hear things but for whatever reason just either don't want to get involved or do not know how to.

If you are concerned about a women or child, or indeed anyone, who may be suffering abuse of any sort or if you see any activity which appears suspicious, then you can assist us by bringing this to our attention.  We are very happy to follow up on information received and would much rather explore something and find that everything is alright than have someone get seriously hurt or worse, when this could have been prevented.

International Women's Day is a day to celebrate the achievements of women and girls, to ensure that they are protected and respected, and achieve their true potential in today's changing and challenging world.