Personal Policing

It’s been a busy week, but one of the things that makes a policing career so enjoyable, interesting and challenging is that no one week is ever the same.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to visit Lisnaskea and patrol with members of the local Neighbourhood Policing Team.  Lisnaskea is a thriving rural town, albeit feeling the pinch like many other towns across Northern Ireland, but I was able to take the chance to speak with a number of the local business owners.   What always impresses me about rural towns is that there are always a few police officers who have been there for a very long time and know absolutely everyone and everyone knows them. This for me is exactly what good community policing is all about, long term relationships with local police officers known by name and who have a reputation for delivering a good policing service to the local community. I was also hearing about the very effective relationships on the ground with our colleagues in An Garda Síochána. This is very important given its close proximity to the border.

Yesterday morning I had the privilege of being invited to speak to the assembly at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, or Inst as most of us know it.  Over one thousand boys and staff gathered in their assembly hall. This was a great opportunity and I want to thank Janet Williamson, their principal, for the invitation. One of the strap lines I used in my address was ‘It’s the real thing’ and how life is not a dress rehearsal, you only get one chance and you need to make the best of it. Who knows I might even have been addressing a future Chief Constable!

I have also been dealing with the fallout of the errors made by the external Design Team in relation to the costings around the new NI Community Safety College at Desertcreat. As Chair of the Programme Board, I can assure you, the difficulties which we are currently working through with Health and Justice Departments and the three services (Police, Fire and Rescue and Prisons) are not show stoppers and whilst the opening of the College may now be delayed for a few months, into early 2016, it is very much still a reality.

Despite all the unique challenges the Police Service faces, our goal of delivering the finest personal, professional and protective service remains our priority. The events of last week, with the failed mortar attack on New Barnsley station, will not deflect us from this challenge.  Even this morning there is an ongoing security incident outside Enniskillen.  The vast majority of people support policing and with your support we can make communities better and safer. The mindless actions of those who totally disregard the safety of others must be frustrated, prevented and detected. The people who left the mortar bomb at New Barnsley have nothing positive to offer. There was absolutely no guarantee that the potentially deadly device would not miss its target and hit homes, schools or businesses in the nearby area.

With your help and support we will continue to work tirelessly to thwart acts of terror and criminality and continue to make your local community a better and safer place to live.