Would the Chief Constable provide an assessment of the implementation of Recommendations 45 and 46 of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland (The Patten Report) (dedicated policing team for every neighbourhood (45) and (46) members of NPT serving 3 years and display of names on uniform)
The Recommendations are reproduced here for clarity:
Recommendation 45
Every neighbourhood (or rural area) should have a dedicated policing team with lead responsibility for policing its area. [para. 7.10]
Recommendation 46
Members of the policing team should serve at least three and preferably five years in the same neighbourhood. They should wear their names clearly displayed on their uniforms, and their uniforms should also bear the name of the locality for which they are responsible.
The overarching situation with regard to resources and the context in which the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is currently operating has moved on substantially from the publication of the Report of the Independent Commission for Policing and, indeed, the final report of Office of the Oversight commissioner (Report 19, dated May 2007).
Members will be aware that along with the Policing Board we embarked on an extensive consultation on local policing and, as a result, we have taken immediate steps to enhance the profile of Neighbourhood Policing and substantially increase the number of officers deployed in neighbourhood roles.
The Neighbourhood Policing Delivery Board was constituted with the Deputy Chief Constable as Chair and continues to develop the implementation plan flowing from the consultation.
The Deputy Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constable Todd attended the Partnership Committee on Thursday 15 October 2020 and provided a full briefing on the progress of implementation to date.
We set a target to increase the number of Neighbourhood Officers by 400. As of September 2020, 376 additional officers have been allocated to Neighbourhood Policing across the organisation, with a plan in place to fill the final 24 posts to secure a total of 713 officers in Neighbourhood Policing Teams. Thirty new Neighbourhood Teams have been created bringing the total number of teams currently to 64.
Each electoral ward has a minimum of one dedicated beat officer and every neighbourhood officer displays a name badge which includes details of the District to which they are attached.
Officers appointed to each team will have a minimum commitment period of two years. Given the realities of career progression and constantly evolving operational needs, it is not deemed feasible to have a minimum tenure period of three to five years.
Mike Nesbitt MLA