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Policing remains a key issue in Northern Ireland and it requires
more than reassuring statements from the Chief Constable Sir
Hugh Orde to persuade a worried public that things are improving,
by Standard reporter.
Like all law-abiding citizens I have nothing but admiration
for the 7,500 men and women of the Police Service of Northern
Ireland who carry out their duties in a dedicated and conscientious
manner.
The trouble lies in the fact that there are not nearly enough
of them. The disastrous 'downsizing' of the Police Service
in this Province post-Patten Report recommendations has created
a very serious situation.
The police numbers have been reduced from 12,500 in the days
of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and it doesn't require anyone
with rocket science to appreciate that the loss of 5,000 experienced
officers has created a dangerous vacuum.
The criminal elements are all too aware of this and are taking
advantage - something which was forecast by many 'insiders'
in the RUC.
A few years ago I had a conversation with two very competent
and experienced detectives who had accepted the generous financial
package and were lined up for jobs in firms only too delighted
to offer employment to men of this quality.
The men forecast that, without a shadow of doubt, crime,
especially that involving robbery, burglary, mugging and deception
would increase.
Sadly, their forecast had proved all too accurate. The Chief
Constable may produce statistics which seek to prove that
things are improving, but the Ulsterman and woman in the street
know from experience that the reality is different.
Few law-abiding citizens feel happy about walking the streets
of our cities and towns after dark. There is fear and apprehension
about the gangs of youths, many carrying bags of alcohol,
who walk our streets.
The closure of police stations on the grounds of economy
has not helped, and neither has headline-grabbing events like
the appearance of two constables on horseback - horses apparently
loaned by the Garda.
What the public want to see more than anything else is the
physical presence of more policemen pounding the beat. The
foot patrols which were once such a feature of Ulster urban
society were the reassurance which calmed people's fears and
anxieties.
There is a desperate need for the iniquitous 50-50 recruitment
policy to be dropped. It is one of the worst examples of discrimination
and it has resulted in many highly qualified potential recruits
being lost to the PSNI for no other reason than their Protestant
religion.
Not only is it morally wrong, but it is also wrong from a
practical point of view, and the sooner it is axed the better
it will be for society.
Northern Ireland, as this column has pointed out before,
is not the law-abiding and peaceful society it was in 1968
before the start of the Troubles. In those days, not all that
long ago, murder was a rare occurrence. When it did take place,
it was talked about for years, and most people remembered
the name of the victim.
Today, murder and manslaughter are common crimes in Northern
Ireland. The same applies to burglaries, crimes of violence,
and sexual assaults.
Drug abuse was almost unknown in Northern Ireland in 1968,
and was something confined to the 'smarter' parts of the west
end of London. Today drug-related crime is a big factor in
Northern Ireland crime and shows no sign of abating.
Crimes of a sexual nature are on the increase, and the moral
fibre of the Province is under attack.
It is time for the disastrous policies of Patten to be reversed,
and for common-sense to operate in the whole business of policing
of crime.
The Government must face up to the fact that Northern Ireland
is a totally different place from what it was 40 years ago.
Yes, it is still bottom of the UK crime league table. But
Northern Ireland's increase in crime started from a very low
base.
Half-a-century ago it was not unknown for judges sitting
on County Court and Assize Courts to be presented with white
gloves because there were no crimes to be dealt with.
Oh for those days to return, but in the meantime reality
must be faced up to and real steps taken to defeat the criminal
gangs and individuals which now operate on a worrying scale.
The under-strength police service is doing an excellent job,
but it needs more manpower and resources. That fact must be
pinpointed by the Ulster politicians and everyone with influence
and authority in Northern Ireland.
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