Help us save lives

The selfishness and recklessness of the people who planted the bombs on the Antrim Road this week beggar’s belief.

Over the past few days, I have closely monitored the painstaking operation to make the area safe and return it back to some form of normality. These operations take time and I want to thank the public for their patience and the sense of community extended to those who for safety reasons, had to leave their homes.

I have listened to accounts from residents, politicians, community representatives and business owners about how the life of the local community has been disrupted. How the people responsible can justify their actions to their neighbours is beyond me.

By good fortune, the lives of local people and police officers protecting the community have been saved. These devices were there for only one reason, to kill. Just think how many people must have walked past them as they hired and returned DVDs to their local store - many of them children and young people no doubt.

The second device, clearly targeted at police and army personnel responding to the incident was placed behind a Scout Hall. There is no such thing as a responsible bomb, but to place a bomb at premises where young people gather brings irresponsibility to a new low.

These people have tried kill many times before and will try again . Our efforts to frustrate, detect and put them before the courts will continue. We have had many successes to build on, but we still need your help and support.

If you know anything about this or any other similar incident, please come forward directly to the police or anonymously to Crimestoppers - telephone number 0800 555111 and tell us what you know.

Ultimately it's the information which you provide that could make the difference, and literally save the lives of people in your family, your community, your police service.

Condemnation and celebration

The bomb attack at the City of Culture offices in Derry earlier this week showed a complete disregard for the local and wider community, and the desire of the vast majority of people to celebrate everything that is good about Northern Ireland.

The device exploded in the early hours of the morning and those responsible had absolutely no way of knowing that there would not have been people in the area at that time. Quite clearly, they didn’t care.

It is not that long ago that Derry City was celebrating it’s successful bid and selection as the UK City of Culture 2013. I understand that plans are well under way to make it a year to remember for all the right reasons, putting the City and Northern Ireland, well and truly on the map.

I join with the local politicians, community representatives and business leaders to totally condemn those who were responsible.

In 2013, Northern Ireland will also host the World Police and Fire Games. The Police Service of Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and Northern Ireland Prison Service will host approximately 10 000 Law Enforcement Officers and Fire-fighters from around the world who will compete in a wide variety of sporting events. It will be the biggest sporting event Northern Ireland will ever have seen.

In the current economic climate this is another fantastic opportunity to demonstrate what Northern Ireland has to offer. It is also an opportunity to showcase this beautiful part of the world as a place that warmly welcomes visitors from near and far, and an opportunity to attract much needed income and investment to support the local economy. These are things which all right thinking people want and those responsible for the recent attack clearly fail to grasp or choose to ignore.

As your Police Service we will continue to do everything we can to prevent, frustrate and detect the small minority who continue to carry out acts of terror.

As a community I would again call for your full support in doing so.

A New Year, new decade and new challenges

As many of us return to work following one of the coldest festive breaks for generations, over the past number of weeks, your Police Service has been busy helping people across Northern Ireland.

I’m aware of many incidents where police officers have come to the aid of snow bound families and motorists, or helped by distributing water to communities affected by the recent thaw, burst pipes and subsequent water shortages.

The arrival of a New Year and decade also brings new challenges for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

I look forward in anticipation to a year of opportunities to demonstrate how the Police Service of Northern Ireland is working to become the finest personal, protective and professional police service in the world.

My hope for 2011 is that the people and communities of Northern Ireland will not experience the disgraceful acts of terror, which were not only attacks on individuals but on the entire community of Northern Ireland.

I think in particular of those police officers who were injured, for no other reason other than they have chosen to serve the people of Northern Ireland. I also think of those members of the community, in some cases young children, who were victims of terrorist attacks last year. The New Year brings a new opportunity for us all to work together to help keep all of our communities safe.

Later this year, The Police Service of Northern Ireland will be ten years old. Since its inception, no other police service anywhere in the world has so effectively and positively embraced such a huge degree of change. We are continually developing into a service that is listening more and more carefully to the community - a policing service that everyone can support and be proud of.

There is no doubt that 2011 will be challenging on many fronts. Financially, whilst our discussions with local and national government to secure a significant funding package are at an advanced stage, the efficiency targets set in the proposed budget will be extremely challenging to meet.

This means that we must continue to identify and deliver efficiencies without compromising on the service we deliver. The terrorist threat has not diminished and we will continue to do everything we can to frustrate and detect those who seek to cause harm. And later in the Spring of this year, we will publish our policing commitments to you, so that you can be clear on the standards of service you can expect from your police service.

We will do everything we can to ensure that we deliver on everything that we have promised, but in return, I again ask you to fully support us in our efforts to keep all communities safe - whether that is safe from crime or anti-social behaviour, safe from danger caused by hazardous weather conditions, or safe from terrorism.

Together we can ensure that we deliver, and that you receive the police service that we all want.

Looking back and looking forward

This will more than likely be my last blog of 2010 and as I look back on 2010 and plan ahead for 2011 and beyond, I reflect on a year of many challenges, rewards and frustrations , and look forward to a year full of both challenge and promise.

Over the past year I sense more than ever that the Police Service of Northern Ireland has begun to establish its own identity and demonstrate that it is a police service which can be trusted and respected. It is hard to take in that the PSNI is almost 10 years old. Trust and confidence must be earned, and I believe in many areas we are seeing that relationship of trust building in very tangible ways.

Ultimately it is our delivery of a personal, professional and protective policing that will be the deciding factor in earning and retaining your support , and you will rightly hold us to account on that.

As I reflect, I think of the worrying increase in the threat from terrorists. I think of the officers who have been injured and I am mindful of the very significant efforts of your police service to keep everyone safe.

This has been a very difficult and costly task - both in terms of the personal cost borne by injured officers and members of the community who themselves have suffered at the hands of terrorists.

Just last night, two days before Christmas, the home of a police officer and his family was targeted in County Fermanagh, my thoughts are with them.

I assure you that we are, and remain, absolutely determined to do all we can to counter this threat and to keep people safe.

We operate in a unique policing environment, but despite the challenges we have continued to deliver many successes over the past year.

By way of example, between January and October this year, there were 169 terrorist related arrests with 59 people charged. This compares to a total of 17 people charged during all of 2009.; over 90 crime gangs have been frustrated, disrupted or dismantled ; whilst one road death is too many, road traffic fatalities have been considerably reduced; over 570 additional police officers have been deployed to the front line; we've seen a huge growth in Neighbourhood Watch Schemes; and perhaps a first in UK policing , we've seen stolen property recovered as a result of one of our Facebook initiatives.

We are not complacent and we acknowledge that many of our successes are a direct result of the relationship which we have developed and the support which we continue to receive from all parts of the community right across Northern Ireland. Your continued support will ensure that we can continue to deliver the type and style of policing which we all want and deserve.

As I plan over the next few weeks to spend a little more time with my family and friends, I look forward to 2011 and working with you all to build on the progress which we have made.

Thank you for your support over the past year. I encourage you all to take care and be responsible when you are out and about over the next few weeks.

I wish you all a very enjoyable and peaceful Christmas and New Year.

Look out for one another

Over the past week Northern Ireland has experienced the lowest temperatures on record, with some places recording temperatures as low as minus 12 degrees.

Although many areas are beginning to experience milder temperatures, many places remain covered in a blanket of ice and snow - and forecasters are predicting more snow on the way next week.

Sadly the roads have claimed a number of lives over the past week and my thoughts are with those who have lost family members and friends in these collisions. In the run up to Christmas, this is particularly poignant.

I know the Roads Service has been working around the clock to help ensure that the main routes, and where possible some minor roads, are kept as clear as possible. We owe them our thanks for the difficult task which they undertake, often in very treacherous conditions, to help keep us all safe.

By only venturing out when journeys are absolutely necessary, allowing plenty of time for our journey, reducing our speed, keeping our distance, using our headlights and fog lights when appropriate, clearing windscreens fully and making sure our lights, washer bottles, wipers etc are all working properly we can all help keep each other safe. And of course we should never, ever drink and drive.

I was greatly encouraged by the sense of community and concern which I heard about earlier this week, as the people of a small West Belfast community gave away free thermal clothing to their older neighbours. This was a really practical and thoughtful thing to do.

During last year’s winter months it is estimated that more than 1,000 people aged over 65 died due to the winter weather. With even colder temperatures, much earlier in the winter period, there is a very real risk of this number increasing.

Many older people really struggle during periods of extreme cold. I was recently told of a story where a lady in a Belfast shopping centre saw two older people having a packed lunch. When they were asked what they were doing, they explained that they come to the centre and bring a lunch with them so they don’t have to put their heating on.

We all know of older family members or neighbours who are vulnerable. Whilst it is good to check in with them throughout the year, it is even more important at this time to regularly call and check to make sure that they are warm, that they wear lots of layers of clothes and that they have sufficient food in their homes so that they do not have to venture out onto slippery surfaces.

In the business of life, especially in the run-up to Christmas, it’s often easy to overlook those who need our help the most. Let’s all be really good neighbours this Christmas.

Be safe this Christmas

It seems no time at all since last Christmas. While many people are only starting their preparations for the festive season now, your Police Service started the planning process many months ago.

A series of Police operations, designed to help keep you safe as you go about your Christmas activities have already begun.

This is one of the busiest times of the year with a huge influx of people visiting our city and town centres to socialise and shop. With greater numbers of people, comes the increased risk of opportunistic criminals attempting to steal money, commit fraud and break into people homes and businesses to take goods and gifts.

Police will do as much as possible, not only make you feel safe but keep you safe. Over the next few weeks we will be prioritising patrols to keep people safe when they are out socialising, to protect homes from being targeted for burglary, to prevent motoring offences in order to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes and to detect and frustrate acts of terrorism.

The effectiveness of our operation depends on the support we receive from you all. You can help us by:

Be Safe - Protect Your Property

• Don’t leave gifts on display, and remember when you are leaving the house or going to bed to close, lock and check all your doors and windows and set your alarm
• If anyone calls at your house you are unsure of, don’t let them in – always ask for ID
• If you are going away over Christmas inform your neighbour and ask local Police to put your details in the vacant house register
• Be alert to the possibility of a thief snatching your handbag or mobile phone
• Take care when taking out cash at an ATM. Consider using your switch card to get cash back at a till
• Park in a well-lit area or an attended car park and never leave parcels or valuables in view in a car
• Call in and make sure any older relatives and neighbours are doing ok

Be Safe - Get Home Safe

• If you are going to drink alcohol, drink responsibly
• Plan your journey home in advance
• Stay in well lit, familiar areas
• Don't become separated from your friends
• Never accept a drink from someone you don't know
• Always have enough money to get yourself home

Be Safe - Never, Ever Drink and Drive

• Our message to road users is very simple. Drinking and driving kills, maims, wrecks families and communities
• Our aim is to save lives and reduce injuries
• We will have operations which will run day and night throughout the Christmas period

Together we can ensure that you have a safe, peaceful and very enjoyable Christmas.

People do not decide to become extraordinary… They decide to accomplish extraordinary things

I was delighted to have had the opportunity to speak at a number of events last week. Two of these were almost exclusively female audiences, made up of senior representatives from organisations spanning the public and private sectors.

Hannah Shields was the keynote speaker at Friday’s Visible Women event being run by Ards and North Down Borough Councils. Hannah, from Kilrea, was the first ever women from Northern Ireland to conquer Mount Everest. She has a quite remarkable and fascinating tale of personal perseverance, determination and passion to achieve her own personal goal.

We can all think of at least one person who has influenced or inspired us - a parent, friend, colleague or complete stranger. Perhaps, not surprisingly, Hannah referred to Sir Edmund Hilary who said: “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.”

When we actually think about it, every single one of us has our own personal challenges to overcome. And whilst very few of us will ever climb Mount Everest, every day ordinary people achieve extraordinary things.

People who give up their own time to work in communities as volunteers for example. People who work with children and young people who may be at risk.

Perhaps one of the biggest life challenges is to be a parent. You can train for months and then undertake a physical challenge, but sons and daughters are for life. As parents we are extremely powerful people - and although sometimes we may not think it, our potential to influence our children is a lifetime one.

Whilst most crime is committed by adults, and often young people are victims of crime, unfortunately as a Police Service we all too often come into contact with children or young people who have become involved in criminality or have been drawn into risky situations by their peers.

Recent incidents of public disorder are a prime example. Of course, not everyone involved in the disorder was a young person, and it was clear that there were individuals seeking to influence younger people and place them at real risk in these situations.

Our desire is not to criminalise young people. Where possible and appropriate, we want to give those who have been caught committing crime another chance.

Most importantly, we need the support of parents to prevent young people getting involved in risky situations in the first place. Make sure you know where your children are and who they are with. Young people also need to recognise that their actions now can have a significant impact on their future.

I certainly want a future Northern Ireland free from violence, fear, discrimination and division for my children.

Together we can make real progress towards achieving that goal.