Other News In Brief

Green Party Concerned Domestic Abuse Calls 'Only The Tip Of The Iceberg'

Green Party Councillor Rachel Woods has said that she is concerned that domestic abuse calls made to the PSNI are "only the tip of the iceberg".

Responding to recent figures from the PSNI that they received over 3,600 calls about domestic abuse incidents over the holidays, the Holywood and Clandeboye representative said: "We know that domestic abuse has been on the rise for a number of years, and shows no sign of slowing down. It is ever present, and when many of us are celebrating Christmas with our friends and family at home, many others are facing domestic abuse. Incidents recorded by the PSNI are only the tip of the iceberg, as they are only the incidents that are reported - many never make a call, or reach out.

"Recent PSNI figures show that a total of 3,604 calls for help in relation to domestic abuse incidents were made over the Christmas period, and on Christmas Day, they received 110 calls in relation to domestic abuse, representing an increase of 10% from the same period last year. On New Year's Eve, the PSNI received 106 calls, an increase of 5% on the year before.

"We need a Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and we are still the only part of the UK without one. The Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Sexual Offences legislation passed last mandate will go some way, but we have much to do to identify and solve root causes and eradicate abuse from our society.

"I'd encourage anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse or is concerned about someone who is to reach out for support and advice. There are many organisations that can help, such as Women's Aid, Men's Advisory Project, the 24 hour domestic and sexual abuse helpline, or the PSNI."

UUP Backs Continued Policy Of Arming PSNI Officers

Ulster Unionist Policing Board spokesperson, Mike Nesbitt MLA, has backed the continued policy of arming every PSNI officer.

It follows a Policing Board report that called on the PSNI to "consider the policy in its future planning".

Mr Nesbitt said: "The Policing Board is not recommending that a single officer should be disarmed today, tomorrow, next week or next year. Rather, I see this as a challenge to all of us regarding the sort of society we want. Would I like one where it was not necessary for all police officers to regularly carry firearms? Of course! Are we there yet? Absolutely not!

"I think it is healthy to remind ourselves why officers need to carry lethal weapons, to review how often those weapons are deployed and to aspire to better days ahead.

"The fact remains that our police officers not only have to face armed and violent criminal gangs but also live under threat both on and off-duty, as was seen recently in the attacks in Strabane and Londonderry and the threats made in the New IRA statement issued to mark the New Year. Police officers have a right to defend themselves and they are entitled to have the means to do so."

ABC Council To Host Special Employability And Skills Conference

As part of their Get Future Ready campaign, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council has announced a special employability and skills conference on Thursday 23 February.

Hosted by Wendy Austin, the event is open to all local employers, citizens and community representatives as well as stakeholders from across education, training and employment organisations.

The Conference, which takes place from 9am to 1.30pm at the Seagoe Hotel in Portadown, will focus on the importance of employability and skills in the borough, looking ahead to what will be needed by employers and what the future of work might look like.

Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Paul Greenfield said: "Council is delighted to host this conference for employers and job seekers in the borough to bring together leading experts and think through what skills are going to be needed in the workplace going forward.

"We look forward to what insights and inspiration Barry Winkless will share as he energises local business owners to think creatively ahead, exploring workplace solutions that will ignite employees to be motivated in their work that will improve productivity and output.

"The Conference, and indeed the full suite of events in February under the Get Future Ready umbrella, all aim to further develop a pipeline of talent aligned to local industry needs both now and in the future, and we look forward to welcoming, in particular, young people along."

The Get Future Ready: Employability and Skills series is part of the Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon Labour Market Partnership – and is being delivered by Banbridge District Enterprises, in partnership with SRC and with support from Craigavon Industrial Development Organisation (CIDO) and Armagh and Mayfair Business Centres.

The Conference is one of many events taking place during February. Others include a Job Fair, Big Apprenticeship Event, ‘how to' demonstrations, and workshops on topics such as interview techniques and employer visits. Places for each event are limited so we recommend booking early to avoid disappointment.

More information can be found on the special online hub getfuturereadyabc.com.