A damning internal report on the state of policing in the North should spark a rethink on the devolution of justice powers to the Assembly, Ulster Unionists claimed today.
This came as it was confirmed that the new Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Matt Baggott, will take over on September 22nd.
But while the Policing Board said it looked forward to his arrival, there were calls today for the full publication of the PSNI strategic review after leaks showed the document had catalogued major problems.
The internal report which was prepared by senior officers and marked ‘restricted’, suggested the police service was being choked by paper work, with the focus on recording crime rather than fighting it.
It said the PSNI had lost 704 frontline officers in the past three years, that 61per cent of officers’ time is spent inside stations rather than on the beat and that little time was spent tackling issues such as anti-social behaviour.
The report also raised concerns over a lack of clarity on future relationships between the police and a new Ministry of Justice at Stormont.
The Ulster Unionist Party’s Tom Elliot said it had sparked questions over the devolution of policing and justice powers.
“The UUP position is that devolution of Policing and Justice may be possible in the future if the circumstances are right. We have, however, expressed our concerns that the arrangements between the DUP and Sinn Féin would result in a puppet minister subject to joint control, permanent veto and answerable only to the OFMDFM,” he said.
“The PSNI’s Strategic Review demonstrates that there are enormous problems at the very core of our policing service, problems that will require clear thought, a collective approach and steely determination to resolve.
“Any new Justice Minister will need to have the personal, political and public authority to turn the PSNI into the service it should be and could be.” He added: “So, instead of rushing headlong into the creation of such a ministry, all of the political parties in the Assembly will have to engage in a very serious and very detailed debate.”
The police said the report had also highlighted their success in implementing the Patten reforms that helped overhaul the force.
Officers argued the document also signalled the determination of senior officers to correct problems faced by the service.
The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) human rights group called for the internal PSNI document to be published.
CAJ Policing Programme Officer Mick Beyers said: “We recognise that the PSNI is an organisation in transition and CAJ will not prejudge the findings of the Strategic Review until we have read the report.
“However, it is critical that CAJ and other key stakeholder organisations, as well as the wider community, have access to such documents which not only have radical implications for the structure and management of the police, but also for human rights, accountability, equality and community safety.”
PA