Policing review: public consultation event

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Northern Ireland Policing Board are now consulting with the public and other bodies to garner their opinions.

The public consultation evening will take place at St Columb’s Park House on Wednesday, October 24 at 5pm.

In 2015 the PSNI reviewed policing structures in line with the Review of Public Administration which saw the amalgamation of Councils including Derry City & Strabane District. At the time police gave an undertaking that they would review these changes.

The consultation is part of the Local Policing Review 2018.

Chief Constable George Hamilton said: “Low level crime such as criminal damage and theft has reduced; but we now deal with much more complex crimes such as sexual exploitation and cyber crime.

“Increasing vulnerability in our society also has an impact on policing with around 150 of the calls we receive every day linked to a person with identified mental health issues.

“In addition to these changing demands, we have a reducing police budget and fewer police officers. We now have to consider how we can future-proof our service.”

The consultation will run until November 9, 2018 and the public are invited to provide their response to three key questions via the website www.psni.police.uk/my-area/publicconsultation/.