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.