Keeping People Safe: Northern Ireland Policing Board publishes 2019-20 Policing Plan

Keeping People Safe: Northern Ireland Policing Board publishes 2019-20 Policing Plan

The Northern Ireland Policing Board has published the latest Policing Plan which sets out the strategic outcomes and associated measures for policing in 2019-20. The Plan is designed to improve confidence in policing and the quality of service provided to the public.

Speaking about the Plan, Board Chair Anne Connolly said: The absence of an Executive for the past two years has resulted in significant uncertainty for organisations across the public and community and sectors. The PSNI face many key challenges, particularly with regard to their budget and their ability to plan ahead and invest in the future effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation.

It is therefore important, now more than ever, that the PSNI collaborate with key delivery partners, to use collective knowledge, expertise and resources to build confidence in policing and protect and support vulnerable people in our community. As well as fulfilling our accountability function in monitoring PSNI performance against the measures contained in this Policing Plan, the Board has an equally important role in advocating for policing and supporting the PSNI as they seek to establish new collaborative relationships and further develop existing ones.”

This 2019-20 Policing Plan forms the final year of the Strategic Outcomes for Policing 2016-2020, which contained nine strategic outcomes that set out the long-term vision of what the Board wants the Chief Constable to achieve by 2020.

Chief Constable George Hamilton said:   “The demands faced in policing are becoming increasingly complex and the resources available to meet these demands are continuing to reduce. This is because traditional, visible crime has given way to new crimes which are less visible. Often this crime is cyber related and can cross international boundaries which make it more difficult and expensive to investigate.

My team and I remain committed to building confidence and trust in policing and making a difference to the public we have the privilege to serve. We look forward to continuing our ethos of Policing with the Community in striving to meet the targets in this Policing Plan over the next year.”

Over the coming year, the Board will oversee and scrutinise PSNI performance through the work of its Committees and will report on all aspects of this Plan to ensure the community receives the professional, accountable policing service which it rightly expects.

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For further information please contact the Board’s Communications Office on 07801 738795

Notes to editors

  1. The Policing Plan 2019-20 is produced in accordance with the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000. It is prepared by the Chief Constable, agreed and published by the Policing Board following consultation with the Minister of Justice.
  2. Monitoring the Policing Plan: A Monitoring framework has been developed which will allow the Board to monitor police performance against the overarching themes in the Strategic Outcomes for Policing 2016-20. A full analysis of PSNI performance against all Policing Plan measures will be published in the Northern Ireland Policing Board Annual Report and in online media.
  3. Paying for the Plan: A breakdown of the total budget available to the PSNI to deliver the policing plan during 2019-20 is £1.1bn.  The Board approved the PSNI Resource Plan for 2019/20 at its monthly meeting in April 2019.
  4. Local Policing Plans: Each PSNI District Commander, having consulted with the local PCSP, issues a local policing plan that, as well being consistent with the overall Policing Plan for Northern Ireland, sets out the policing priorities and measures for the area.
  5. A copy of the Policing Plan 2019-20 can be downloaded from the Policing Board website.
    Notes to editors ends.