PSNI need to wake up to rural crime

David McIlveen, DUP MLA and Northern Ireland Policing Board member was at the launch of the Policing Board and the PSNI’s Policing Plan for 2012-2015, which outlines the objectives and priorities for policing during the three years.

Following the launch Mr. McIlveen said: “There has been some great work done in preparing this report and there are some very important areas highlighted that need to be worked on. These include the ongoing paramilitary threat, anti-social behaviour and improving community confidence in policing.

“Policing has also made some fantastic improvements in recent years. For example, the levels of crime in Northern Ireland are the lowest for 10 years and deaths on our roads are at the lowest levels since the 1930s. Burglary has reduced significantly and the level of Anti Social Behaviour has reduced by over 1/3 in the last 5 years.

“However, reading through the report, one thing struck me as very disappointing, and indeed worrying. In the entire 34 page document, the word ‘rural’ is not mentioned once. This is despite fear of crime and a sense of isolation in rural communities being at an all time high. I cannot fathom why this document did not make addressing rural policing and rural safety a huge priority.

“There has been so much discussion recently about the closure of our local police stations, about the increase in rural crime and about more and more rural thefts. Surely now is a prime time for the police to make rural policing a clear focus for the next three years.

“There is so much work to be done in increasing confidence in the police at a rural level. At present, the police class rural crime as everything outside Greater Belfast. We have to start by changing how police view and map rural crime. Then, we need to move to really tackle rural thefts and criminal acts to ensure that those living in rural areas feel that they get the same high level of service as those in urban areas.

“This is a huge, but vital task for the police in the coming years, and I plan to use my role on the Policing Board to influence a change in perceptions and a change in objective for the PSNI.”