Planning for the Northern Ireland Community Safety College

I spent the first part of yesterday morning in Cookstown, opening the Curriculum Conference for the Northern Ireland Community Safety College at Desertcreat.

Progress towards the delivery of our new College is gaining some serious momentum and we hope to conclude the procurement process early next year, with the award of the construction contract. 

I also had the opportunity last week to go to the Police training College at Garnerville in East Belfast, to meet with the people who have been given the task of developing and delivering the various strands of the new College. Individuals from the three services working side by side. 

Yesterday's conference was about discussing the important issues of how changing learning styles will impact how we train going forward, how training can meet future societal expectations and how we can deliver realistic and effective public safety training.  

Our partners in the College, the Fire and Rescue Service and Prison Service,  were also present and key to the new curriculum will be how we train together - which we are planning will be the rule rather than the exception. 

We have also been engaging locally, on a regular basis, to keep the people of Cookstown, and in particular those who live in close proximity to the site, fully advised of progress.   

I am really looking forward to watching how the delivery of our new College develops over the next few months.  This is probably one of the most exciting developments in policing here for some time.     

If you are interested in finding out more about the College, you can visit the website at http://www.desertcreatcollege.org/   

Working Together to Tackle Hate Crime

This week the Hindu Community locally and globally celebrated Diwali, or the Festival of Lights as it is also known.  As part of this festival, small clay lamps are lit which symbolise the triumph of good over evil.

There has been a small Hindu community in Northern Ireland for some years, the actual number would be around 1,000 members, making this the third largest minority ethnic population.  The wider Indian community have been present in Northern Ireland from around the 1920's with members mostly working in the food industry and as GP's, doctors and consultants.

Sadly members of minority ethnic groups do not always feel welcome in Northern Ireland and this week our Policing with the Community Branch have been hosting a Hate and Signal Crime workshop in Belfast.  This event marks the introduction of a new role within Neighbourhood Policing Teams - Hate and Signal Crime Officers (HSCOs) will be taking over an enhanced monitoring and review role from the previous Hate Incident and Minority Liaison Officers.

The role of the HSCOs is to improve the quality of service we give to victims of hate crime and to increase community confidence in the Police Service to encourage more victims of Hate Crime to come forward and report these crimes.  We welcome the input, involvement and support of our key partners at the event: Victim Support, Chinese Welfare Association, Polish Association, Rainbow Project and Disability Action. 

Working together we can address underreporting, improve and achieve best evidence in our investigations and raise our clearance rates.  We are also seeking, in partnership with our criminal justice partners, to obtain the evidence which will permit the courts to increase sentencing for offences that are aggravated by hostility based on the victims' actual or presumed religion, race, sexual orientation or disability.

The community have a wider responsibility to make Northern Ireland a hostile place for perpetrators of hate crime and to ensure that everyone, regardless of their background, race or religion, feels welcome and safe in the community where they live, work or socialise.  I would encourage anyone who can assist us in preventing or detecting hate crime to proactively support us.   Hate crime is not acceptable under any circumstances, and by working together we can ensure this message is understood by everyone.

'Delivering Women, Peace and Security'

I had the pleasure of speaking at a conference hosted by Hanna's House at Croke Park, Dublin yesterday afternoon.  Hanna's House is a home for an active feminist community in Ireland, working for a non-violent, just society that embraces diversity. 

This was an all Ireland conference on 'Delivering Women, Peace and Security' and considering how much progress has been made in implementing the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR)1325.

UNSCR1325 was a landmark international legal framework that addresses not only the inordinate impact of war on women, but also the pivotal role women should and do play in conflict management, conflict resolution and sustainable peace. 

I had been invited to speak about 'Gender Perspectives in Policing and Security'. President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins opened the conference. 

In addition to providing an update on progress towards addressing the under representation of women within the Police Service of Northern Ireland I also used the opportunity to pay tribute to influential women who had played a significant role in the peace process and conflict resolution.

I thought particularly of the words of Yvonne Black, who in spite of her personal tragedy said “grief in other homes will achieve nothing.” Even in the midst of such bereavement this courageous woman wanted to appeal for no retaliation. The thoughts and prayers of all right thinking people will be with Mrs Black and her family as they prepare to lay David to rest. 

I can think of so many other women of courage, some very public and some not so, who have played such an important role in peace making and peace keeping.

I encourage them, and everyone else, despite the events of last week to relentlessly work to achieve that goal. 

Deputy Gillespie pictured along with Michael D Higgins and other guest speakers at the conference.