Today, Ulster Unionist MLAs Doug Beattie, Justice spokesperson and Alan Chambers, Policing Board Member, met with Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton to discuss a variety of key issues, including summer policing initiatives.

Doug Beattie MC MLA said, “A meeting with the Deputy Chief Constable, designed to discuss summer policing initiatives, outlined the stark under-resourcing of the PSNI and the knock-on effect it is having on the service provided to the public. Police workforce numbers continue to plummet, with the headcount now sitting below 6,200. However, with around 800 officers sick, or on some kind of protracted leave, the figure of officers who can fully mobilise could sit as low as 5,300. This is simply unmanageable and something the Chief Constable has warned about continuously.

“It was obvious, in discussion, that the June monitoring round and the failure to provide the police the financial resources they needed, to assist with recruitment, came as a shock to the senior management team. They had made it clear through the policing board, through political representatives and through the Department of Justice, just how serious the situation was. Yet, even though everyone agreed the police needed prioritisation, the financial resource they required for year one of the recovery plan was not made available. Instead, an IOU was issued for up to £7million by the finance department. This IOU may or may not materialise, but the Chief Constable has been forthright in saying that this is a risk he must take.

“There is also a sense of disconnect between what the police workforce recovery plan, outlined by the Chief Constable, and what the Department of Justice and the Justice Minister are saying. The 3-5 year plan was designed to bring the PSNI up to 7,500 officers with a genuine belief that the figure should rise to around 8,000 in the longer term. On the other hand, the Justice Minister said in the assembly, and on the media, that the 3-5 year plan was to bring the PSNI up to 7,00 in the first 3 years and then consolidate that number for the following 2 years. This seems to be at odds with what the PSNI are trying to achieve.

“The summer period is one of the busiest times for the PSNI, their resilience will be tested over the coming months, but not their professionalism. We should be thankful that we have men and women who are prepared to serve in the PSNI, but being thankful is not enough; it is time we prioritised our police, and that means a Justice Minister fighting for the police instead of hiding behind the mantra of ‘it's an operational matter’. Police workforce levels are a strategic issue and should be viewed as such.”