Police seek to reassure public over station closures

Police in Newry have acknowledged concerns raised following the recent presentation of the Estates Strategy to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. Speaking to Newry Times, the police said they would like to reassure the public that no decision will be taken on the closure of any station before a full consultation process.

A planned programme of public consultation will begin in the New Year. E District Commander, Chief Superintendent Alasdair Robinson will assess the operational need of specific stations within the district and consult with the local community to develop and implement innovative and flexible policing initiatives.

Chief Superintendent Robinson said, “I want to reassure the community that the first stage of this process is consultation where you will have the opportunity to contribute your ideas on how policing is delivered in your area. We want to ensure that policing is at the heart of communities, when and where it is needed. Over the past number of years we have been able to double the number of officers in neighbourhood policing and we know that this provides the personal service that the public want. We need to find ways to enhance this approach whilst delivering the best value for money.”

He added, “We will not speculate at this stage about what may happen but will take time over the coming months to work with you to make the decisions that will be most beneficial to your community.”

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Posted by Emma Taylor on Dec 6 2011. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry