Dealing with the past is the responsibility of everyone

The terrible events of the 31^st July 1972 in Claudy have been the focus of attention over the past days.

The regret expressed by former Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kinkaid, on behalf of the PSNI, when he met with the families of those injured and killed, in December 2002, has not diminished in the intervening years.

At that meeting ACC Kinkaid briefed the families on the findings of a police review of the original investigation. Afterwards ACC Kinkaid said “it is clear that the relatives of those who died in the bomb attack in Claudy village and those who were injured have not received justice. I regret this very much and in particular that opportunities to arrest and interview all of the suspects were not taken."

I wholeheartedly agree with what ACC Kinkaid said. The Royal Ulster Constabulary didn’t always get it right, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland has made mistakes too.

We police in a very different context today, and this is in no way intended to make excuses for the past. Our aim is to deliver a personal, professional and protective police service, which ensures that the events in Claudy are not repeated.

No Police Service could ever say that they will always get it right. But it will not be for the want of trying. And it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the bravery and sacrifice of so many police officers and police staff who in the midst of the unrelenting violence of the 1970’s were killed or injured delivering a police service, trying to keep all communities safe.

In the months and years to come, there will no doubt be difficult and challenging times as Northern Ireland tries to reconcile itself with its past.

Through the establishment of the Historical Enquiries Team (HET), we are attempting to facilitate a process to recover the truth and ensure that those individuals who have questions receive the answers they seek, uncomfortable as those answers may be.

That work will continue. We would encourage anyone with information in relation to Claudy, or indeed any historical event linked to the Troubles, to come forward to the HET.

Neighbourhood connections can work together

I had the pleasure of patrolling the streets of Downpatrick last Friday afternoon with the local Neighbourhood Policing Team. As I patrolled I had the opportunity to speak to numerous members of the public, local representatives and business owners.

What was abundantly clear to me was that the people of Downpatrick want a visible Police Service who know and understand the needs of those who live in, work in and visit Downpatrick. I saw first hand a team of officers who have a passion for doing exactly that.

Recent events have very clearly caused much concern within the Downpatrick area, and across Northern Ireland, and it was very clear that anyone I spoke to had absolutely no time for those who continue to inflict acts of terrorism on individuals and communities.

I was disgusted by the indiscriminate act which could have so easily have taken the lives of three children in Lurgan on Saturday afternoon. Those who carried out this attack showed a complete disregard for the safety of anyone who happened to be in this area at that time, and it is only by pure good fortune that no-one was killed. It would appear that there are no boundaries to their recklessness.

I very much welcome and greatly appreciate the public show of support, on Saturday, for my colleague who terrorists tried to murder in Kilkeel last week. Events like this further serve to isolate those responsible and demonstrate the lack of support for those who attempt to carry out such acts of terror.

The Police Service is continuing to raise its game, to tackle head on, those whose intent it is to cause terror. You will see over the next days and weeks an increased visible police presence as we work to prevent, frustrate and detect further terrorist activity. Already this year we have arrested and charged 40 people in relation to dissident republican activity . This will continue.

We cannot be everywhere all the time but you can, and must, help us by being our eyes and ears in your local area. Look out for your friends and neighbours, and immediately report anything suspicious. Those people who have information and choose not to disclose it need to seriously examine their conscience.

We are absolutely committed to playing our active part in defeating terrorism but we cannot work alone. More than ever, we need, rely on, and must have your active support.

As a society we still have work to do

The images of violence recently broadcast across the world have highlighted that, as a society we still have work to do.

The totally unacceptable attacks on police officers over the 12th July period, which resulted in injuries to more than 80 of my colleagues, are a clear indication of that fact.

Communities the world over ask an immense amount from police officers and no more so is that the case than in Northern Ireland.

Once again my officers have placed themselves between the differing voices on our streets, and paid a high price. The cost of protecting the legitimate rights of those who wanted to walk and those who wanted to protest has run into millions of pounds.

In the current financial climate, when public money should be spent on personal policing, hospital beds, nurses, school places, teachers, the list goes on, the public purse is stretched and money has been diverted away from delivering critical services.

I recognise the efforts of community representatives, politicians, and those in other positions of authority, who have engaged tirelessly with each other to resolve these issues, and I encourage and exhort those involved to continue and indeed increase these efforts.

There has been a great deal of time and effort spent in addressing these issues in recent years, but there is still much to do.

For our part we are determined to work with anyone to help bring about a resolution to the issue, but in the absence of such a resolution we will continue to protect communities and individual human rights.

As evidence of this commitment, to date we have arrested over 40 people in connection with the violence and I assure you that more arrests and charges will follow.

The recent disorder will not deter us from delivering the personal, professional, protective service which everyone in our community expects and indeed deserves.

The words of support we have received include messages from members of our communities and beyond, who registered their shock and disgust as events unfolded and felt compelled to voice their anger at the violence, and their support and sympathy to the injured officers.

They included people who stepped forward from within the affected communities to say enough is enough and that the rioters do not represent them.

If ever there was an indicator of the desire for a quality policing service then this is it, and we will continue to deliver that personal, professional service to everyone.

The restraint and professionalism displayed by each of the officers involved in the policing operation in the face of extreme danger, and the response of the service as a whole was once again outstanding.

The praise, which has been loudly voiced locally, nationally and internationally is tangible. Their actions have been commended in the highest forum through the words of praise from Prime Minister, David Cameron. Add to that the words of the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, at last week’s Police Officer Graduation ceremony, who quite rightly highlighted that police officers are all 'active leaders' within the peace process.

We will continue to play our part.

Others must now, more than ever, do the same.

Financial pressure

At last Thursday's Policing Board meeting there was a public debate on the likely impact public spending cuts will have on the Service.

Given the current financial context it is almost inevitable that - just like every other public service across Northern Ireland - we will need to find additional savings.

It is absolutely right and proper that this debate should be held in public. Politicians and the community must be told about the potential impact funding cuts will have on the police service we provide, to ensure the very best and most appropriate decisions are made.

Whatever the outcome of the funding decisions, I assure you that we will continue to provide a personal, professional, protective policing service.

Whatever difficult decisions lie ahead, let it be clear that we will not compromise on the safety of the public, our officers and staff.

We have already demonstrated, in planning for the future, that we are prepared to make some very difficult decisions.

Our aim to be the finest, personal, professional and protective police service in the world remains.

To make this a reality, we need to work in even closer partnership with, and have greater support from, you.

Graduation day

I had the pleasure on Friday afternoon, past, to convene the graduation of 53 men and women and witness their attestation as Constables in the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

I felt a great sense of pride as I joined with hundreds of family members, friends and colleagues to share in this very special day. Young men, and women, from across geographical boundaries, community backgrounds and nationalities. People who had taken the decision to serve their community, and the people of Northern Ireland, through the very honourable profession of Policing.

As Convening Officer I have the privilege to be one of the first to address our very latest Constables. I took the opportunity to congratulate them but also to reinforce the need to make every encounter with the public personal and professional, to treat people as they would wish to be treated themselves – to use every opportunity to demonstrate that the Police Service of Northern Ireland can become the finest personal, professional and protective police service in the world.

These men and women have now joined the ranks of an organisation which has a critical and influential part to play in strengthening community support for policing and I have absolutely no doubt that they are totally up for it.

In a few weeks time these officers will be patrolling your streets and communities as your local police officers trying to get a sense of what is important to you and what makes you feel safe and this can only be achieved by your consistent support, as we work together towards a safe, confident and peaceful Northern Ireland.

Debating Policing and Justice

It was my pleasure to visit the Presbyterian General Assembly earlier this week, at the invitation of the Moderator, to take part in a panel debate on Policing and Justice along with the Minister of Justice, David Ford, acting Chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Brian Rea, and the Director of Probation Brian McCaughey.

This was a fantastic opportunity to engage with around 300 people, of all ages, from across Northern Ireland on important issues such as dealing with anti social behaviour, resourcing the policing service, improvements to the criminal justice system and the priority of policing in relation to other important services like health and education.

During the course of the evening the audience asked the panel a broad range of very challenging questions and expressed their views of what they expected and required from their Police Service and the other agencies and departments represented.

The one thing that was clear is that there was very strong support for the rule of law and for a Police Service which listens and is responsive to the needs of the community.

Our intention is very clear. We want to be a Police Service which is personal, impartial, focused, visible and in the heart of, and working with, the community to make a difference and to prevent harm, protect from danger and to inspire confidence.

We know that we will be judged not on what we say but on what we do, but to get it right we need the full and unequivocal support from individuals across Northern Ireland, and where we get this support I have no doubt that we can deliver the service you quite rightly expect and require.

Personal, impartial and accountable policing

‘Personal, impartial and accountable police officers and staff, present and influential in the heart of all communities, in the right numbers to make a difference’.

As we prepare to police the parades over the next few months, we have again asked for the full support of the elected representatives and influential people across our communities.

Solving difficult issues in consultation and with the help, co-operation and assistance of the community is the very essence of Policing with the Community.

Whilst Neighbourhood Policing Teams have a critical role to play, policing with the community is in fact a core function of every police officer regardless of their individual role.

Neighbourhood Policing is not about how we police but where we police with a specific purpose of delivering the right people, at the right places and in the right numbers, in order to create safer, confident and peaceful neighbourhoods.

It is about the police listening to, understanding the issues that matter most, and working together with the community and other statutory and voluntary bodies to tackle them. Policing is not for the police alone, and often we are only part of the solution longer term.

We have over the past few months been developing and consulting with a number of critical friends, on a set of Policing with the Community Commitments. These will be a series of commitments aimed at clearly outlining to the public the minimum standard of police response which can be expected. Further consultation will be required, but once these are finalised they will be published.

In the meantime we will continue to strive to deliver personal, professional and protective Policing with the Community by engaging with and listening to local communities and by providing them with access to named local police, influence over policing priorities and delivering partnership interventions.

Despite all the challenges and pressures we routinely face, this is an area of policing which is not negotiable.