Justice Minister 'Not Fighting The Corner For Police' – UUP

Justice Minister, Naomi Long, has been accused of "simply not fighting the corner for police", by Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader, Doug Beattie.

Mr Beattie made the accusation in a statement addressing policing issues, which have been highlighted again by recent violence and disorder over the last week.

The UUP Leader said: "In 2023 the Police Service of Northern Ireland was in crisis because its rank and file, along with senior officers, had lost confidence in their Chief Constable. That was addressed with a replacement Chief Constable in the form of Jon Boucher, a straight-talking and, dare I say it, charismatic policeman.

"There was also considerable concern regarding the Policing Board which still has not been addressed. Indeed, the core issue that led to both the undermining of the then Chief Constable - Simon Byrne - and the Policing Board has not been dealt with.

"Roll onto 2024 and again we have a crisis in our police service. This crisis is around resources, staffing and political support. The headline is that our police, which should be sitting at 7,500 officers according to the Patton Review of Policing, is actually sitting at 6,300 officers.

"Yet that doesn't tell the whole story because from that 6,300 you need to remove those on long-term or short-term sick, those on maternity leave and those either assigned to an important desk job or are close to retirement. The available 'officers on the beat' figure is likely to be below 6,000. This creates an unbearable pressure on the force and on individual officers who are asked to do more with less."

Mr Beattie said that this situation "hasn't just happened", but successive justice ministers have not argued for pointed police resources.

He added: "The Justice Minister is simply not fighting the corner for the police, highlighting the day-to-day challenges, which means the present Chief Constable has to slip into the political arena far more than he would want to.

"Resourcing the PSNI is not an 'operational issue', it is a 'strategic issue' and casting them adrift with a budget to tell them to 'get on with it' isn't good enough. It's akin to the Health Minister telling the Health Trusts to 'get on with it' when they knew the budget wouldn't allow them to do just that. Hence under both Robin Swann and Mike Nesbitt, the Ulster Unionist Party has said we cannot support the present budget.

"I was recently asked if the Chief Constable should overspend in order to recruit more officers and my response was that he had no choice. I stand by that statement because our depleted police service cannot continue without a strategic review and a rapid upload of resources. It cannot be taken for granted any more.

"This is not about operational policing, it is about strategic policing outcomes. If politicians in Northern Ireland are not willing to stand up and address this then we cannot complain when our Chief Constable grabs the nettle and delves into the political arena to save the force he commands.

"This is a line in the sand for policing in Northern Ireland, we need fundamental change, including direct support from the Home Office. The recent riots, with paramilitary influence, combined with ongoing Republican terrorism are without a doubt a threat to national security and our police are on the front line of that threat. They need support and they need resources if we, as a society, are to turn this around."