10/07/2003

Half of Catholic population 'happy' with PSNI

A new Policing Board survey has revealed that around half of the Catholic population in Northern Ireland think the PSNI "treats everyone equally".

The findings, which are contained in the latest 'Omnibus Survey' on perceptions of the Policing Board and the delivery of policing services in Northern Ireland, also showed that the proportion of Catholic respondents who had at least some confidence in the police to provide a day-to-day service rose from 68% to 70%. This compares to Protestant figure which rose from 79% to 81%.

Welcoming this finding, the Chairman of the Policing Board, Professor Desmond Rea said: “In order to ensure that the whole community has a police service that is effective, efficient and impartial, the Policing Board must undertake regular surveys to find out exactly what the public thinks about the service they are receiving from the PSNI.

“This particular result is a positive indicator of how, 20 months on, policing arrangements are moving forward and being accepted right across the community. Progress has been made and this must continue to be built on."

Other findings in the report reveal that 75% of respondents had some, a lot or total confidence in the police’s ability to provide a day-to-day police service.

Confidence in the police service’s ability to deal with public order situations was up to 76% from 69% in September, and those who had had contact with the PSNI over the past 12 months and were satisfied with the way they had been treated, was also up at 75% from 74% in September..

“The Policing Board must set challenging objectives, performance indicators and targets for the PSNI to ensure effectiveness and efficiency are achieved. The 'Omnibus Survey' is much more than just a snapshot in time of what people think about policing. It is an indicator of success and progress and a pointer to areas where more work is required,” Professor Rea added.

The Central Survey Unit of the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency carries the Northern Ireland Omnibus Survey out six times each year.

(MB)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

12 October 2004
DPP support reinforces police work: Murphy
The new policing arrangements in Northern Ireland have been reinforced by the creation of District Policing Partnerships and enhanced by the calibre of the men and women who serve on them, Secretary of State Paul Murphy has said.
20 November 2003
DPPs tour PSNI Training College
The Police Service College opened its doors to members of District Policing Partnerships (DPPs) today to showcase the vital police work carried out by a number of police departments.
25 April 2007
Policing Board to address major US policing conference
A delegation from the Northern Ireland Policing Board will travel to the United States this week to participate in the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) annual conference in Chicago, which brings together over 350 police chiefs from across the United States.
26 March 2004
PSNI performance figures released
Newly released PSNI performance figures have revealed that although the detection rate for violent crime has increased, it is still well below the target set by the Northern Ireland Policing Board. The targets are set in the Annual Policing Plan which the Board publishes every March.
20 November 2002
Policing Board scores well but public lack information
A survey published on the public's perception of the Policing Board has shown that the Board have scored well, but that some of the recent high-profile changes made under the Patton recommendations have fared less well. The area of District Policing Partnerships in particular proved puzzling to those polled.