Christmas is just around the corner. It is a time of anticipation, of joy and for children, excitement.
For criminals, it can present an opportunity. We are working to ensure that these opportunities are minimised. It is our aim to ensure we all have a safe and peaceful Christmas.
We are playing our part, through our seasonal policing plan - Operation Seasons Greetings, through planned, targeted operations aimed at disrupting criminal activity, through highly visible policing patrols, working to increase confidence and through focused, targeted roads policing operations.
Crime prevention officers are available in every area in Northern Ireland to advise on protecting your property, our Get Home Safe partnership and night time economy operations work to ensure everyone can enjoy the nightlife our towns and cities have to offer.
We will have an increased policing presence on our roads across the Christmas period. All of this work is designed to help keep us all safe. We are asking for your help. Simply, we need people to look after themselves, their property and each other. Small steps can make a big difference.
Remember to close, lock and check all doors and windows in your home, keep your gifts and valuables from view both in your home and your car, if you are going out to socialise, plan how you will get home. By remembering these simple steps you can help ensure we don't make Christmas a gift for the criminal.
And stay safe on the roads. Leave plenty of time for your journey, pay attention to the road conditions and never ever drink and drive. It is better to be a little late arriving at your destination than not to arrive at all.
I want all of us to have a happy and peaceful Christmas.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog over the past weeks.
Seasons Greetings and Best Wishes for the New Year.
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
A serious terrorist attack was thwarted
"A serious terrorist attack was thwarted." Those are the words of the Chief Constable during a press conference on Sunday past. He was talking about the policing operation in Garrison, County Fermanagh on Saturday night.
This is my opportunity to publicly praise the professionalism and restraint of my colleagues who were involved in this operation. A gunman fired at officers. Lives could have been lost.
We have to thank the community for their support and patience as the policing operation completes. It is that support from Garrison, and the wider Fermanagh area that sends a clear message to those intent on this terrorist criminality. They do not want these people in their midst. The actions of the community in Fermanagh has demonstrated that.
Equally, we have to be thankful that the device placed outside the Northern Ireland Policing Board in Belfast was made safe, that it did not fully detonate, as was the intent of the criminal terrorists who placed it there. Those who carried out this attack do not care about others, they put the lives of ordinary people in the Clarendon area at risk.
We have the resources to police a terrorist threat. And we will do so. but equally importantly to the majority of people living here, we will continue to deliver a normal day to day policing service, tackling the issues that matter to you and your neighbourhoods. Christmas is almost upon us, I want to work to ensure that all the people living here have a peaceful and happy one. And you can be assured that we will be working hard to do this.
This is my opportunity to publicly praise the professionalism and restraint of my colleagues who were involved in this operation. A gunman fired at officers. Lives could have been lost.
We have to thank the community for their support and patience as the policing operation completes. It is that support from Garrison, and the wider Fermanagh area that sends a clear message to those intent on this terrorist criminality. They do not want these people in their midst. The actions of the community in Fermanagh has demonstrated that.
Equally, we have to be thankful that the device placed outside the Northern Ireland Policing Board in Belfast was made safe, that it did not fully detonate, as was the intent of the criminal terrorists who placed it there. Those who carried out this attack do not care about others, they put the lives of ordinary people in the Clarendon area at risk.
We have the resources to police a terrorist threat. And we will do so. but equally importantly to the majority of people living here, we will continue to deliver a normal day to day policing service, tackling the issues that matter to you and your neighbourhoods. Christmas is almost upon us, I want to work to ensure that all the people living here have a peaceful and happy one. And you can be assured that we will be working hard to do this.
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Over the past days, policing has again made the headlines
The debate around the retention of the Full Time Reserve (FTR) is a political one. The final decision on the future of the FTR was made some time ago. The recent announcement by our Chief Constable to press ahead with this timescale is not new but one that has been carefully and extensively considered and planned for some time.
If we are to deliver a successful policing service we must retain operational independence and be able to make decisions about how we work to keep people safe across Northern Ireland. We, as police officers and police staff, have a job to do. And we are determined to do what is right regardless of how difficult that might be.
I believe we are testing our collective resolve to make changes in how we deliver our policing service. We live in the real world, we must live within our budget, we are living within a recession and we are policing a unique security situation.
But we also have a great many officers still doing jobs that do not require a warranted officer to perform. These men and women signed up to be police officers, to work with communities, to reduce harm and deliver a personal policing service. In the coming months, the senior command team in the Police Service will be redeploying many officers back to frontline work, in the areas where they needed most. Some bureaucracy is necessary, but much is not. We must cut down on red tape, on the bureaucracy, much of which comes from outside the organisation and affects the time our people spend out in communities.
In December, at the next meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, our Chief Constable will publicly present his plans for policing here, the strategic priorities by which we will deliver a personal, professional and protective policing service to the people of Northern Ireland. This approach is a step away from what we have done before. I believe it is the right way to go, we will set out our stall and let the people of Northern Ireland hold us to account.
This is a tough call and I am genuinely mindful that people, internally and externally are grappling with major issues. But it is work we must do - we simply cannot afford not to. The majority of our officers must be in operational roles whether that means out on the streets, in neighbourhoods or in investigating serious crime which can also blight communities, but all of us directly contributing towards making Northern Ireland safer. I firmly believe that we can deliver that.
If we are to deliver a successful policing service we must retain operational independence and be able to make decisions about how we work to keep people safe across Northern Ireland. We, as police officers and police staff, have a job to do. And we are determined to do what is right regardless of how difficult that might be.
I believe we are testing our collective resolve to make changes in how we deliver our policing service. We live in the real world, we must live within our budget, we are living within a recession and we are policing a unique security situation.
But we also have a great many officers still doing jobs that do not require a warranted officer to perform. These men and women signed up to be police officers, to work with communities, to reduce harm and deliver a personal policing service. In the coming months, the senior command team in the Police Service will be redeploying many officers back to frontline work, in the areas where they needed most. Some bureaucracy is necessary, but much is not. We must cut down on red tape, on the bureaucracy, much of which comes from outside the organisation and affects the time our people spend out in communities.
In December, at the next meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, our Chief Constable will publicly present his plans for policing here, the strategic priorities by which we will deliver a personal, professional and protective policing service to the people of Northern Ireland. This approach is a step away from what we have done before. I believe it is the right way to go, we will set out our stall and let the people of Northern Ireland hold us to account.
This is a tough call and I am genuinely mindful that people, internally and externally are grappling with major issues. But it is work we must do - we simply cannot afford not to. The majority of our officers must be in operational roles whether that means out on the streets, in neighbourhoods or in investigating serious crime which can also blight communities, but all of us directly contributing towards making Northern Ireland safer. I firmly believe that we can deliver that.
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Armistice Day
I have just returned from the Service of Remembrance held in the Royal Ulster Constabulary George Cross Garden.
It is right and proper on this day we remember all those in the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Police Service of Northern Ireland who gave their lives in service for the entire community.
They were ordinary people thrust into extraordinary situations. On this day we remember with thanksgiving the courage and self sacrifice of those who have given their lives. Particularly we remember the colleagues we have lost since our last remembrance service, Constable Stephen Carroll, murdered by terrorists and Constables James Magee, Kevin Gorman, Declan Greene and Kenny Irvine, tragically killed in a road traffic collision.
Their legacy should be a continued determination by us all to meet the challenges that lie before us and embrace a future of peace.
On this day, we remember them.
It is right and proper on this day we remember all those in the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Police Service of Northern Ireland who gave their lives in service for the entire community.
They were ordinary people thrust into extraordinary situations. On this day we remember with thanksgiving the courage and self sacrifice of those who have given their lives. Particularly we remember the colleagues we have lost since our last remembrance service, Constable Stephen Carroll, murdered by terrorists and Constables James Magee, Kevin Gorman, Declan Greene and Kenny Irvine, tragically killed in a road traffic collision.
Their legacy should be a continued determination by us all to meet the challenges that lie before us and embrace a future of peace.
On this day, we remember them.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Amidst all the debate on devolution, policing in Northern Ireland goes on
Day and daily we work to deliver a personal and professional policing service, often in the most difficult and demanding circumstances.
Recently, terrorists attempted to take the life of another police officer, trying to bring us back to the dark days of the past. And yet since then, across Northern Ireland, thousands of officers and staff have continued to show their unreserved commitment to deliver a policing service to you.
Our commitment has been matched by support from the vast majority of people across Northern Ireland, who continue to report crimes and incidents to us and support local policing initiatives.
As an officer myself, I understand this commitment but the strength, resilience and professionalism of my officers and staff combined with the support of the wider community never fail to make me proud of what I do.
And while we work to combat the terrorist threat, day to day policing goes on.
Building work on the new Musgrave Street police station in Belfast is nearing completion. When finished, it will become the district headquarters for South and East Belfast, providing enhanced neighbourhood, community safety and CID accommodation for the city centre. It will also incorporate a large custody suite which will serve the centre of Belfast.
In Omagh, our new state of the art station is now fully operational. It is the Headquarters for F District, encompassing Dungannon and South Tyrone, Omagh, Cookstown and Fermanagh. In addition to the response teams and other units which are found in most police stations, the Omagh station also houses the centralised functions including Road Policing, Public Protection Unit, Call Handling and the Video Identity (Viper) Suite.
These stations will provide modern, well equipped bases for officers to deliver a local community service. Our modernisation plans continue, we must make our buildings fit to support a 21st century service.
And that leads me to the issue of station closures. Some of our stations are old, not in the right place, inaccessible and no longer used by the public. It would be wrong of us to spend public money, your money, keeping these stations functioning when they no longer provide a service to the officers or to the public.
I know how the issue of station closures has affected some communities, particularly in rural areas.
But I passionately believe that buildings do not keep a community safe. People do, officers, staff and the partners and stakeholders working with us.
They are the people that work to keep our streets and our neighbourhoods safe from harm and I would rather they'd be out there with you. This is what we are working towards, bringing policing to the community rather than waiting for the community to come to us.
As the world and the debates move on around us, we still remain focused on our service to the public. It is what we do.
Recently, terrorists attempted to take the life of another police officer, trying to bring us back to the dark days of the past. And yet since then, across Northern Ireland, thousands of officers and staff have continued to show their unreserved commitment to deliver a policing service to you.
Our commitment has been matched by support from the vast majority of people across Northern Ireland, who continue to report crimes and incidents to us and support local policing initiatives.
As an officer myself, I understand this commitment but the strength, resilience and professionalism of my officers and staff combined with the support of the wider community never fail to make me proud of what I do.
And while we work to combat the terrorist threat, day to day policing goes on.
Building work on the new Musgrave Street police station in Belfast is nearing completion. When finished, it will become the district headquarters for South and East Belfast, providing enhanced neighbourhood, community safety and CID accommodation for the city centre. It will also incorporate a large custody suite which will serve the centre of Belfast.
In Omagh, our new state of the art station is now fully operational. It is the Headquarters for F District, encompassing Dungannon and South Tyrone, Omagh, Cookstown and Fermanagh. In addition to the response teams and other units which are found in most police stations, the Omagh station also houses the centralised functions including Road Policing, Public Protection Unit, Call Handling and the Video Identity (Viper) Suite.
These stations will provide modern, well equipped bases for officers to deliver a local community service. Our modernisation plans continue, we must make our buildings fit to support a 21st century service.
And that leads me to the issue of station closures. Some of our stations are old, not in the right place, inaccessible and no longer used by the public. It would be wrong of us to spend public money, your money, keeping these stations functioning when they no longer provide a service to the officers or to the public.
I know how the issue of station closures has affected some communities, particularly in rural areas.
But I passionately believe that buildings do not keep a community safe. People do, officers, staff and the partners and stakeholders working with us.
They are the people that work to keep our streets and our neighbourhoods safe from harm and I would rather they'd be out there with you. This is what we are working towards, bringing policing to the community rather than waiting for the community to come to us.
As the world and the debates move on around us, we still remain focused on our service to the public. It is what we do.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Welcome to my blog
This is a new form of communication for me but as I embark on it I am hopeful that it can become a place where I can share my thoughts on policing issues (and other subjects) here in Northern Ireland. Please give me time. Everyone has to start somewhere. So where to start? Well, September saw the beginning of a new stage for the Police Service with the arrival of our new Chief Constable, Matt Baggott. I for one was delighted to welcome him to his office, ending a short but nevertheless hectic period for me as Acting Chief Constable.
And while in that role, I continued to listen as policing was discussed and debated in many forums. I understand the fundamental human need to feel safe. I am a wife and mother, a homeowner, I am part of my local community. I understand that people want to feel safe at home, at work, in their local communities and neighbourhoods. That is what I want - for my children, my family, my friends, my community and for myself.
I recognise that policing has a central role to play in increasing people's safety and security. That is what we are working to deliver. The next question is where do we go from here?
Numerous challenges face us. I recognise that a central part of our service is a visible and personal policing presence in neighbourhoods but I would challenge what that presence should look like. I believe that it is about more than officers on the beat, about more than being seen. I believe that we owe it to our communities to ensure that our officers are tasked to deal with the issues affecting their areas. It is about listening, understanding, and importantly delivering. Being purely visible isn't enough. We need to ensure we are busy doing the right things and that we are organised to deliver the best possible service we can.
I believe we can do that. We are up for delivering this, our new Chief Constable is committed to delivering this. People need to tell us what they want, but they also need to help us prioritise, let us know what is important to them and work in partnership with us to address it. But that is another story for another day. There is much to debate and much to do. I look forward to it.
Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie
And while in that role, I continued to listen as policing was discussed and debated in many forums. I understand the fundamental human need to feel safe. I am a wife and mother, a homeowner, I am part of my local community. I understand that people want to feel safe at home, at work, in their local communities and neighbourhoods. That is what I want - for my children, my family, my friends, my community and for myself.
I recognise that policing has a central role to play in increasing people's safety and security. That is what we are working to deliver. The next question is where do we go from here?
Numerous challenges face us. I recognise that a central part of our service is a visible and personal policing presence in neighbourhoods but I would challenge what that presence should look like. I believe that it is about more than officers on the beat, about more than being seen. I believe that we owe it to our communities to ensure that our officers are tasked to deal with the issues affecting their areas. It is about listening, understanding, and importantly delivering. Being purely visible isn't enough. We need to ensure we are busy doing the right things and that we are organised to deliver the best possible service we can.
I believe we can do that. We are up for delivering this, our new Chief Constable is committed to delivering this. People need to tell us what they want, but they also need to help us prioritise, let us know what is important to them and work in partnership with us to address it. But that is another story for another day. There is much to debate and much to do. I look forward to it.
Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie
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