Political backing vital to police reform, watchdog says

Major advances towards a new policing regime in the North will stall without total political backing, a new watchdog report warned today.

Even though Oversight Commissioner Al Hutchinson confirmed that a mammoth reform programme within the Force was nearing completion, total public support was urgently needed to prevent a golden chance being squandered.

The ex-Royal Canadian Mounted Police chief’s latest assessment revealed that 114 out of a total of 175 recommendations contained in the Patten blueprint for overhauling the old Royal Ulster Constabulary had been finalised.

But with Gerry Adams and the Sinn Féin leadership still boycotting the new Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), claiming greater changes were still needed, the new era has still to be embraced by significant numbers.

Mr Hutchinson declared: “Northern Ireland’s policing institutions now need the full and unequivocal support of the whole community if the progress they have achieved to date is to continue, and further opportunities are not to be lost”.

In the 13th report by the Oversight Commissioners’ office, he praised the development of the PSNI and other key institutions holding it accountable – the Policing Board and Police Ombudsman.

Increased Catholic membership of the service from just 8% in 1999 to 17.7% now and a cut in sickness absence levels from 23 days per officer in 2001/02 to 17 days have been key accomplishments.

Mr Hutchinson said: “The significant success of achieving over 15,000 applications from the Catholic community demonstrates that the police institution itself is no longer the primary discouragement.

“However, the threat or perception of intimidation remains a barrier to ensuring that the Police Service is as representative of the wider population as it could be, another area in which the lack of full political and community support may be stalling further progress.”

The latest report, described by the Commissioner as a benchmark of achievement to date, pledged to keep studying the 61 recommendations still to be fully resolved.

Despite his confidence that the outstanding issues will be resolved inside the two years he has left in the role, Mr Hutchinson told how human rights issues, public perceptions of growing crime against an actual reduction in recorded offences, and moves to de-fortify police stations still need to be closely studied.

Security trappings have come down on many bases, yet he expressed continued concern on this issue and on attempts to bring in civilian reception staff.

One example of inaction cited was Musgrave Street Station in central Belfast.

“While the surrounding city area has been almost wholly transformed over the past six years, with new and vibrant development all round, this old fortified station lingers as an unsightly monument to the past,” the Commissioner said.

“At a practical level these all amount to lost opportunities; the loss of resources to support redundant stations, the loss of funding opportunities and a missed opportunity to put more police officers on a patrol.

“In a similar vein we have noted the lost opportunity in acquiring a representative cadre of civilian receptionists to populate inquiry offices across the PSNI, thereby releasing even more officers to patrol duties.”

Mr Hutchinson also expressed fears that a reduction in the number of district command units from 29 for efficiency reasons could dilute local accountability, community involvement and representation.

“I have seen nothing to allay this concern, and it will be important with respect to local accountability that the Police Service and Policing Board address this issue.”