Other News In Brief

SDLP's Cara Hunter Welcomes PSNI Action On Violence Against Women And Girls

SDLP East Derry MLA Cara Hunter has welcomed the launch of a campaign to raise awareness around the crime of stalking.

It follows the introduction of new legislation which made stalking a criminal offence in the North.

Ms Hunter said the legislation would protect the public and ensure that offenders are punished appropriately.

East Derry MLA Ms Hunter said:

"The classification of stalking as a crime in the North was long overdue and was achieved through the hard work of campaigners and rights groups who spoke up for victims and fought tirelessly to ensure that anyone found guilty of this horrendous act would face fitting punishment to protect people and to send a clear message that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated.

"The impact that stalking has on victims cannot be overstated. It can completely dominate someone's life, turning it into a waking nightmare. Victims have detailed how the most precious moments of their lives have been ruined, how they have been left filled with anxiety and fear, never knowing what might happen or when. It's only right that the damage this causes has finally been recognised in law.

"This legislation and awareness campaign is an important start, but it is far from the end of the matter. We need to see the Stalking Protection Orders introduced and we need to see a joined-up approach between our police service, the Public Prosecution Service and the Department of Justice to ensure that this legislation is used in the correct way to stop offenders and to keep the public safe from the scourge of stalking."

Justice Minister Urged To Act On Police Budget

UUP Policing Spokesperson, Mike Nesbitt, has called on the Justice Minister to intervene following the news that Police numbers will be frozen and the recruitment process halted due to a cash shortage.

Mr Nesbitt said: "The Ulster Unionist Party has long been highlighting the issue of Police numbers and the failure to meet the target of 7,500 officers as stipulated in the Patten Report back in 1999 and in the New Decade New Approach deal in January 2020. Instead, we are facing a freeze on recruitment that places officer numbers on a trajectory towards 6,000.

"This is, if not a crisis, approaching a crisis because it will impact on service delivery and what we were told last week by the chief operating officer is that we can't just skim - in other words if you have 10 constables you can't cut it to nine or eight, you are going to take out whole police units.

"It's going to get potentially worse. If you stop recruiting, your numbers don't stay steady, they drop because officers retire and move on.

"It should not be lost on anyone that this news has been made public on the same day that the PSNI has published it first ever action plan aimed at reducing violence against women and girls.

"That plan commits the police to 'relentlessly pursuing perpetrators' and rooting out inappropriate behaviour in their own ranks, but given that we are now looking at a force well below the 7,500 officers it needs, it's a fair question to ask if the PSNI will have the officers it needs to perform the tasks it has promised.

"In February of this year the Chief Constable warned in his Accountability Report to the Policing Board, that the impacts of achieving a balanced budget would include 'a smaller and unrecognisable Police Service by 2025; the Police Service will, 'by necessity, be less visible, less accessible and less responsive, affecting confidence in and support for policing and overall levels of community safety'.

"Furthermore, 'over the same period, it is anticipated that there will be a growth in crime impacting the most vulnerable, e.g. child sexual exploitation, cybercrime and

domestic offending'.

"It is simply not good enough for the Justice Minister to call it an operational matter and seek to pass the buck. This is about service delivery, affecting the entire community and the ability of the Police to do their job, and it needs to be resolved as a matter of urgency because it is the public who will suffer if it is not. The Minister needs to make the case to increase the Police budget and she needs to make it now."

PSNI To Increase Police Presence In Carrickfergus

The PSNI has announced that it will increase police presence in Carrickfergus following an incident at Cragfergus.

According to reports, footage appeared on social media which appeared to show "dozens of masked men in dark clothing gathered outside a house".

Police are understood to have responded to reports in the area, but upon arrival found no-one in the area.

It is understood that the incident took place in an area reportedly connected to the south east Antrim UDA, "involved in multiple forms of criminality" and is believed to be linked to a "row involving two families".

Police presence is to be increase to reassure locals and residents.