The Police Service of Northern Ireland undergoes a major change in policing, in order to provide the communities of Northern Ireland with exciting new opportunities to deliver a policing service with local communities. The change, which came into effect on 1st April, is part of the Review of Public Administration.
The PSNI has moved from eight to eleven Policing Districts across Northern Ireland. It is hoped the new districts will improve collaborative working opportunities, community planning and local accountability. It is expected to take upto six months for the new policing model to be fully in place.
The new Districts are supported by central teams of officers and staff, who the PSNI say will ensure their members will have the necessary resources in the right place at the right time to quickly deal with issues in their local districts and community.
The new policing team will be responsible for all aspects of local policing and setting the District Command Unit’s policing priorities along with the Policing and Community Safety Partnership.
A spokesperson for the PSNI said “Our job is to keep people safe. We want to do that by policing alongside the community, providing a speedy, effective service but also taking the time to listen to them and play our part in making our communities safer and more confident places to live and work in”.
“In the months ahead, the PSNI will be changing their policing to be more responsive to the needs of the community. Across Northern Ireland our 26 Local Policing Teams will work with local detectives to tackle crime in your communities. Local Policing Teams will be based in each district and will be available to the community 24/7. Officers will work with the people of Northern Ireland on community problems, provide advice and reassurance and spend time learning about what affects their community most, and how we can work with them to improve their safety and quality of life”.
There will also be 34 dedicated Neighbourhood Policing Teams which will be focussed on tackling the most difficult crime and safety issues faced by communities. They will be committed to building long term relationships, addressing complex anti-social behaviour problems and helping communities resolve conflicts in the areas most affected by high levels of crime.
Superintendent Kee is District Commander for Ards and North Down. He said: “It is with a great deal of pride that we lead a team of professional and experienced officers working with the community.. Our priority is keeping people safe by attending calls for help, engaging with victims of crime and the public, investigating offences diligently and professionally and by taking a problem solving approach we will reduce crime and the fear of crime in our District.”
The neighbourhood Policing teams will be mobile and sent to areas where they are most needed.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland will work closely with the local council, health trusts, schools and other key organisations to ensure the very best service is provided to the community.
