Changes to Ulster police 'taking root'

In his latest assessment he said that while no meaningful organisational change was simple “the deep change that the police service will undergo is beginning to take root”.

And he said: “There are, of course, those who are inclined to see only the negative, or the proverbial ‘half-empty glass’, and it is once again important to remind everyone that this has been a remarkable transformation which has taken place in a relatively short period of time.”

Police reform of such magnitude did not occur in a vacuum but in an environment of real people with genuine concerns and expectations, he said.

The former top Canadian police officer said given a social backdrop devoid of full community and political support, as well as the absence of a functioning assembly, “the progress that has been made to date is therefore all the more remarkable”.

In clear reference to Sinn Féin’s refusal to play its part in supporting policing, he said the Policing Board and District Policing Partnerships were still not able to benefit from the full range of political representation necessary for true accountability and effectiveness.

Equally, full community support had also been withheld from a range of other difficult issues, including 50:50 Catholic – Protestant recruitment.

All the difficulties represented a significant barrier to effectiveness, he said.

In a hard hitting comment, he said: “Those who resist or deny change should understand that the absence of full community support will only impede the necessary reforms, which in turn will only benefit the criminal activities of a few.”

Mr Hutchinson added: “No police service is equipped to deal with society’s problems by itself, nor could it hope to function well under such circumstances, much less deliver an acceptable policing service.”

Insisting change was beginning to take root, he said that apart from the demonstrated commitment of the PSNI, a number of institutions had assisted the change process.

Critically the (British) government had been supportive in “seeding the change process” with legislation and finance.

The Policing Board and the Ombudsman had also diligently performed their roles and been “pivotal in supporting change and as important institutions of governance and accountability”.

Mr Hutchinson condemned the “cowardly threats and intimidation” which had been made against some of the courageous people who had come forward to join District Policing Partnerships which give local people a say in local policing.

Dissident republicans have mounted a campaign of intimidation and violence against many, mainly members of the nationalist SDLP, in a bid to drive them to resign.

Mr Hutchinson said he “absolutely condemned these attacks”.

He said it was the view of the Oversight Commission that intimidators would ultimately fail to achieve their perverse objectives.

This was because of the “resolve and courage shown by ordinary men and women who wish a different future for their communities and their families”.

In summary, he said he remained “as confident as ever” that all the desired changes to policing would be fully achieved within the decade predicted by the Patten Report.

Meanwhile, the Policing Board today published its annual report assessing police performance in the year to the end of March 2004.

Board chairman Professor Desmond Rea said during the year the police recorded reductions in vehicle crime and domestic burglary – overall figures showed there were 14,500 fewer victims of crime.

However, he said there was no doubt that crime and the fear of crime continued to exist in communities throughout Northern Ireland, particularly among those that were vulnerable.

“Whilst it is no consolation to any victim of crime, I trust that the wider community will be assured that Northern Ireland is a relatively safe place to live,” he stressed.

The board was working to make sure the PSNI was dealing with crime effectively, he added.