Security Minister announces £39.5m policing boost

Security Minister, Jane Kennedy has announced an additional £39.5m in police spending today.

The Minister's announcement brings total spending in police resources to £654.5m for the current financial year. However the additional budget has already been spent on police overtime according to Acting Deputy Chief Constable Alan McQuillan given the continued problems in "interface areas, threats from dissident terrorists, loyalist feuding and organised criminality".

“We also spent £400,000 on additional transport costs arising from the damage caused to our vehicles during incidents of public disorder.

“The remainder was mainly accounted for by the deficit in our overall budget with which we started the financial year.

“We are pleased that the NIO has recognised the severe financial pressures which policing in this environment has placed on the Service and has agreed to make this additional money available," he added.

But Ms Kennedy also warned that the additional funds would impact in other key areas of public expenditure in Northern Ireland. She said: "Government will continue to do everything it can to create the environment where the need to commit large scale resources for public order is no longer necessary. We all have a role to play here but others with influence within the community have their responsibilities too."

The announcement was welcomed by Policing Board Chairman, Professor Desmond Rea: “This is a boost to police finances and meets Board concerns about in year funding for the PSNI.

“We had asked Government for the extra funds to cover the cost of substantial pressures put on police resources, particularly in dealing with security and public order situations.

“The Board will no doubt note that Government has warned that diverting substantial resources to policing may have implications for other key areas of public expenditure in Northern Ireland.

”It is time the community fully recognized the resource impact of public order policing and commit to working together, and with the police, to sort out problems.”

Prof. Rea added that the Policing Board had been working closely with the PSNI to ensure available resources were being used effectively and efficiently and that they would continue to make sure that local police were resourced appropriately in future years to provide "an effective and efficient policing service for the whole community".

(MB)