Police Chief to consult public on station closures
Published 20 Jan 2012 13:16
Fermanagh's police chief is seeking the views of local people about whether or not Irvinestown, Kesh and Fintona Police Stations should remain open.
Chief Superintendent Shields said local people would be aware that the future of the stations is under review but stressed that no decision has been taken about whether or not to close one or all of them.
"As part of the review, I have to look very closely at all of the stations in my District to ensure we are using all of our resources, including buildings, in the most effective and efficient way to ensure we provide the best possible personal, professional and protective policing service to the people of Fermanagh," she stated.
She pointed out that there are 70 per cent more police stations in Northern Ireland than in an area of comparable size in other parts of the United Kingdon.
"It reflects the demands of a very different era in policing," she added.
"Our aim is that policing should be part of the local community. However, underused buildings will not achieve this. Investing in police officers and staff working in the local community will," explained Chief Superintendent Shields.
"Overall levels of reported crime in Northern Ireland are at a12-year low. This reduction has been delivered by the public working in partnership with police officers, not by police buildings.
"The public are increasingly engaging with police in different ways, including online reporting of non-emergency and hate crime, and contacting local Neighbourhood Policing Teams directly through telephone numbers provided on our website. We are using modern social networking methods, such as our well established Fermanagh Facebook pages, to keep communities informed of policing and safety issues. As a result of people increasingly using these alternative means to interact with police, fewer people are visiting or using police stations," she said.
"The introduction of BlackBerry smartphones, which have now been distributed to over 4,000 frontline police officers, has also reduced the need for officers to return to a police station to complete administrative tasks. This has already increased the amount of patrol time per officer per shift by over 15 per cent, meaning an extra hour per officer, per shift, is spent on the street and among the people they serve.
"As with all other United Kingdom police services and publicly-funded bodies, the PSNI has undertaken to deliver efficiency savings to the Government over the next four years. For the PSNI, this represents £135 million. As part of the plan submitted to the Northern Ireland Policing Board to deliver these savings, we must find a £2.2 million reduction in the estate baseline budget in order to protect frontline staff and services. This means we cannot continue to fund the current size of our police estate.
"My command team and I are committed to listening to people in the communities we serve. I assure you that a decision to recommend the closure of a station is not taken lightly. I can understand that some may take comfort in having a police station nearby. However, modern policing is about people, not buildings," she insisted.
As part of the consultation process, public meetings will be held: in the Ecclesville Centre in Fintona on Monday, February 6; the Bawnacre Centre in Irvinestown on Monday, February 13; and the Community Centre in Kesh on Thursday, February 16. Senior officers will be present to discuss the review and hear local comments.
Chief Superintendent Shields said: "I want to have a constructive debate with the people of the Fermanagh about the way forward. I want to talk about how policing is currently delivered and how it would continue to be delivered if police stations are closed.
"I encourage everyone with an interest in or influence on policing to participate in the debate," she added.
You can do so by attending the meetings, writing to the District Commander , PSNI F District, 1 Derry Road, Omagh, BT78 5DR (mark your letters Station Review) or by email to FermanaghConsultation@psni.pnn.police.uk
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 20 Jan 12
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