Budget cuts will be no excuse for poor police and officers will still be there in an emergency or when there is a risk to life, the local District Commander of the PSNI has said.

Chief Superintendent Kevin Dunwoody was trying to allay public fears about the impact of the spending cuts.

He said policing is about keeping people safe and that will always be the top priority.

“The police service, just like all other public sector organisations, is facing unprecedented levels of budget reductions,” he stated.

“The challenge for us is to continue delivering policing across Cookstown, Dungannon and South Tyrone, Fermanagh and Omagh. We may have revamped our teams and made changes but I can assure you we are still working away, we are still out and about and still protecting the public, still preventing and deterring crime and, where breaches of the law have occurred, detecting and prosecuting offenders,” he said.

“Our work continues, and with help from the community we will continue to act upon community intelligence and concerns, to keep you safe,” he added.

“Policing may be changing but our policing purpose remains constant – protecting life, preventing crime and bringing offenders to justice. Keeping people safe is still our priority and we will continue to uphold the law. Anyone who thinks that the police are not out there should think again. The way in which we deliver some of our services to the community have changed and will continue to change but financial challenges will be no excuse for poor service delivery,” he stated.

“Community policing will not be coming to an end,” he stressed. “But we will be a smaller organisation in the future and we will have to think differently about how we prioritise our resources. Prevention and deterrence are as important as detections and a better outcome in terms of community safety and reducing the fear of crime. According to the latest figures, crime in F District is down slightly on this time last year, and we would like that trend to continue.

“This is a time of unprecedented financial challenge and change across the public sector. There is a responsibility on all of us in public service and civic leadership over the next few years to understand the demands we face and how we can work better together for the safety and wellbeing of our community,” said the Chief Superintendent.

“We will prioritise our reducing resources to dealing with vulnerability, threat, harm and risk. If there is a risk to life or an emergency we will be there for people,” he promised.

“We will also continue to protect the community from the most serious threats presented by organised crime and those who exploit vulnerable people,” he added.

However, he said he needed the support of ever law-abiding citizen “to help me and to help themselves stay safe”.

He said the PSNI remains wholeheartedly committed to delivering an effective and efficient police service for all.

“We are in difficult times. There is no doubt about that. But I have been very reassured in recent meetings with Police and Community Safety Partnership and the wider public that there is an understanding of the need for change and that policing will look significantly different in the future. Even more reassuring is the readiness and willingness to work with us in delivering the policing service of the future,” said Chief Superintendent Dunwoody.