Working together for an even better Police Service

This afternoon, the Chief Constable my Chief Officer colleagues and I held our first formal meeting with the newly appointed Policing Board.

It's hard to believe that the Policing Board, like the PSNI, will shortly mark its tenth anniversary. For those of you are perhaps less familiar with the role of the Policing Board, it was originally established to secure an effective, efficient, impartial, representative and accountable police service which will secure the confidence of the whole community, by reducing crime and the fear of crime.

The Board and its work is an example of how much progress has been made over the past 10 years. A diverse group of political and independent, members from across Northern Ireland regularly sit down together with the ambition of securing the very best policing service possible for everyone, regardless of who they are.

In my experience, working with the Board has been both challenging and rewarding. As a police officer I welcome challenge. Inevitably at times we will not always agree. But despite this, I have absolutely no doubt that the Police Service and the Policing Board share a vision for the Police Service of Northern Ireland to be the finest personal, professional and protective police service in the world.

Whilst the Board plays a very important role, you also have a very important role to play. Not only can you give us your full support whilst we work to keep you and your community safe from harm, but there are also opportunities for your voice to be heard through the network of District Policing Partnership meetings, soon to become Police and Community Safety Partnership meetings.

These meetings give you the chance to engage personally with your local Senior Police Officers and tell them what is important to you. These are excellent opportunities for really constructive conversations, which we really value as a service.

We also value the many less formal opportunities to discuss policing issues with communities, groups and individuals and we are actively seeking more across Northern Ireland.

I look forward to working with the new Policing Board which is a vital component in the accountability and community confidence landscape. But I also look forward to this police service - your police service - working even more closely with you whether as a community, a local group or as an individual, to hear your views on how we can work together to make the police service you receive even better in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.