Orde highlights PSNI successes despite crime prevention figures

PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde has hailed the past 12 months as ‘a year of many successes’ for the police service despite figures showing that police cleared up less than a quarter of crimes committed across Northern Ireland.

In today's Annual Report 2002/2003 by the Chief Constable, it revealed that out of more than 142,000 offences reported to police, less than 33,000 were cleared - a rate of just 23%.

However, Mr Orde blamed a lack of resources and a shortage of experienced detectives for the great strain placed on the service.

Despite these figures Mr Orde said the creation of District Command Units and the launch of District Policing Partnerships was evidence that the Service was “moving forward in its commitment to providing an inclusive police service delivered by local officers”.

In his introduction, he also paid tribute to the “resilience and commitment which my officers have shown, in often extremely difficult conditions, to providing a professional and progressive police service“ and to implementing the far-reaching changes recommended by the Independent Commission on Policing, the pace of which Mr Orde says has “gathered momentum”.

This year’s Annual Report is a 24-page document focusing on how the Service has performed against the four aims identified in the 2002/03 Policing Plan – promoting safety and reducing disorder; reducing crime and the fear of crime; contributing to delivering justice in a way which secures; and maintains public confidence in the rule of law and implementing the programme of change.

Among these successes, Mr Orde highlighted:

• the launch of the Policing with the Community ethos;
• an increase of 2.9% in the number of offences cleared up by officers;
• a fall of 7.6% in the number of vehicles stolen;
• the seizure of almost £7 million worth of counterfeit goods, over £11 million of illegal drugs and £750,000 worth of fake bank notes and coins; and
• Becoming the first police service in the UK to introduce a Code of Ethics.

Mr Orde said these achievements were set against a backdrop of continuing terrorist activity, serious incidents of public disorder and stretched police resources. However, he said that despite these successes much work was still to be done.

“Much remains to be done but the Police Service will continue to do all it can to reduce crime and catch criminals. We are currently working on a new system of intelligence-led policing which should improve our performance still further.

“We cannot reduce crime levels on our own. We need to work with the community to solve these problems together. If the public gives us the information, then I can guarantee that police will not be found wanting in their efforts to turn that into evidence.

“I am confident that, by working in partnership with the community, we can make Northern Ireland a safer place for everyone," he added.

Welcoming today's report Policing Board Chairman, Professor Desmond Rea, said the community had a right to know how their police service was performing and that the new report provided important information on how the police service is working across Northern Ireland.

He said: “It is clear that the opportunity to build policing for the benefit of the whole community continues to be grasped by the PSNI. The Chief Constable, his management team and officers and staff within the PSNI deserve recognition for their commitment and contributions."

Meanwhile, SDLP spokesperson, Alex Attwood said the Chief Constable was right in recognising the 'gathering momentum' of policing change and that such change had been the best example of the Good Friday Agreement working.

However, he warned that Mr Orde would continue to be judged in the forthcoming year as many issues needed urgent attention including the completion of the radical overhaul of intelligence gathering, getting officers on the ground and developing a police service that people can rely on.

(MB)