Criticism of police unjustified
24 February 2010
Criticism of police unjustifiedNorth Antrim DUP MLA Ian Paisley Jnr said,
The comments by commentators that the PSNI from leadership level down have been complacent and are therefore partly to blame for the recent Newry attack by dissidents are disgraceful and bear no resemblance to the facts.
I have sat in numerous police board meetings when members have claimed that the police are “exaggerating” the threat posed by dissidents. For people to subsequently claim the police are complacent is just not true.
I am the first to argue that there is an issue about how resources are utilised and that more resources are needed for the police. That is why the DUP has helped to secure and additional 800 million for policing. However, it is totally demoralising for rank and file police officers who working long hours, to be told that they are complacent.
The reality is that the reason the police are struggling for resources in key areas is a result of bad negotiating by Danny Kennedy's own Party through Patten. Danny complains about the police now but he should have been more active when his Party was stripping the police of key talent and experience through Patten.
For the past 24 months the board has been regularly warned about the serious nature of the threat and actions being taken to confront it. Indeed, we've already witnessed in County Fermanagh how the police has helped stop dissident acts through intelligence."
