Orde delivers upbeat assessment of policing

In a speech to the US National Committee on American Foreign Policy in New York yesterday, PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde gave a frank though upbeat assessment of the performance of the police over his 129 days in charge of the service.

At the New York event yesterday, which was also attended by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens, the 100-strong audience was told that there were still a number of initiatives – in the broader community – which must be embarked upon.

He said: "We await the cessation of terrorist violence, we await the introduction of District Policing Partnerships, we await Sinn Fein coming onto the Police Board and engaging with policing from within and we await, critically for me, the provision of a new police training college, a major Patten recommendation that is yet to be implemented."

He added that it was "vital to engage with those players and people who are not traditionally seen as friends of the police service".

Mr Orde described the past 12 months as "momentous for the Police Service of Northern Ireland".

He said that the Patten reforms, whilst necessary, have left a skills gap in the force and "very few" qualified and experienced detectives. The PSNI, said the chief constable, is about 800 to 900 officers short of what is needed to respond to the current level of threat.

"This will take some time to put right and it is very difficult bearing in mind the increasing demands communities are now placing on us, and us trying very hard to make that substantial difference," he said.

However, as part of the restructuring, Mr Orde will "empower local commanders at the expense of central commands" – including moving budgets away from the risk averse, central control culture.

According to the Chief Constable, the 536 officers graduating from police training college in April are the people that will "secure over time the long-term changes we need to achieve in Northern Ireland".

This influx, taken with the civilianisation programme currently under way, should result in more police on the streets – totalling around 5,400 officers frontline district officers. In addition to that, the record levels of absenteeism – almost 1,000 out of 9,000 at one point – has been reduced to 800, which further boosts manpower.

Mr Orde also highlighted the 'Policing with the Community' initiative which is designed to create more links and cooperation with the local community.

He added: "It was emphasizing the role the community must play in policing Northern Ireland effectively. Our message was quite simple, that as citizens you have rights, but you also have responsibilities."

The Chief Constable was critical of the current training facilities and said that he has received more support from the US "than I do from my own Government or from the Northern Ireland office".

Despite this, Mr Orde said that the police service had more confidence, better communications structures and was better equipped to offer the community the type of policing that it deserved.

(GMcG)