The fifth report of the Oversight Commissioner, who is monitoring the new policing arrangements for Northern Ireland, is something of a holding document. The Commissioner, Mr Tom Constantine, a former senior American law-enforcement official, reports progress across many areas.
But in very few instances is it possible to point to completion. New uniforms and badges have been agreed and delivered. The old RUC has officially ceased to exist and the new Police Service of Northern Ireland has had its official birth. Arrangements have been made for North-South links between the PSNI and the Garda. But otherwise, much of what the Commissioner describes is work-in-hand.
The PSNI's new structure of district commanders has been put in place. These will liaise with local communities through a system called District Police Partnerships. However, the system is not effective because the police have not been provided with the necessary facilities and back-up services. Vital bridges between police and community are, therefore, not yet operational. No clarity yet exists in regard to the proposed integration of Special Branch and the ordinary detective branch. This is important if Sinn Fein are to be persuaded to take their places on the Policing Board.
Perhaps the most positive part of the picture described by Mr Constantine concerns recruitment and training. He is satisfied that recruitment is drawing equally from both Protestant and Catholic communities. He is satisfied about the quality and suitability of new trainee officers. He is happy that the training programme is in tune with objectives. Anecdotal evidence is coming through nonetheless of pressure and threats from republican extremists against would-be Catholic recruits. In at least one instance an attempt was made to murder a Catholic recruit. Nationalist and republican leaders must utilise their every resource to put a stop to such threats.
The Commissioner warns of the dangers to the new force from extended street violence, echoing the fears expressed recently by senior PSNI figures. His warning was measured and in no way alarmist. But it should serve to remind political and community figures that the PSNI is still but a tender growth. Its success cannot yet be taken for granted.