PFNI says Executive ministers are ‘failing policing’
The Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) is accusing ministers in the Executive of “failing policing” after they continued to delay approving the £200 million Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Recovery Plan.
PFNI Chair Liam Kelly said it was adding insult to injury when the Finance Minister John O’Dowd offered ‘first call’ on £7 million later in the year for PSNI recruitment.
Mr Kelly said the PSNI is in crisis but “yet again the Executive have fudged the funding of the urgently required Recovery Plan”.
“The £5 million allocation has already been spend dealing with the recent disorder,” he said. “The £7 million is wholly conditional on money being available in future monitoring rounds for the Justice Minister Naomi Long to have ‘first call’ on.
“PSNI still have a budget deficit of some £21 million to be rectified in-year. Therefore, in the lacuna created by the Executive, it will actually be the chief constable having to take responsibility and accountability for the financial risk if he wants to commence bringing more officers into service.
“Minister O’Dowd says he’s looking forward to working with Minister Long on ‘progressing’ the Recovery Plan ‘as part of the multi-year budget process.’ What does that actually mean? Is this political speak for putting policing on the long finger?
“These are more meaningless words and, in the context of addressing the crisis in policing, are a recipe for further decline and stagnation.
“This ongoing hand to mouth funding is deplorable and as the Executive continues to dither and procrastinate, the PSNI numbers have and will continue to fall.”
Mr Kelly said last month’s violent disorder across Northern Ireland gave a “snapshot of the consequences of not having enough policing resources or resilience”.
“Do the Executive not envisage more problems arising for policing? It is truly burying their heads in the sand and a total abrogation of leadership and responsibility by the Executive,” he added.
“We’re now below 6,200 officers and although there is moderate recruitment plans in the pipeline, these are totally constrained by the lack of an effective budget.
“Without a budget lifeline, I now foresee a situation where we could slip below the 6,000-mark by the end of this financial year. The downward spiral for policing services continues unabated.
“Policing is not a priority and our genuine pleas to the Executive table are being ignored. Platitudes and praise need replaced with clear affirmative actions.
“Collectively, they are presiding over a disaster-in-the-making for policing and they don’t seem to be at all concerned.”