Federation warns PSNI budget cuts will have ‘catastrophic’ impact on policing

Policing in Northern Ireland will be “catastrophically impacted” by cuts to the PSNI budget, the head of the representative body for officers has warned.

In an address at the Police Federation NI annual conference at the La Mon hotel in Belfast, chairman Mark Lindsay accused the devolved Stormont administration of being out of step with the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

He also told the conference that the federation was checking with legal advisers to see if it could amend the law which prevents officers from taking industrial action over pay.

Mr Lindsay told delegates: “The indicative allocation for 2022-23 is £760 million, that’s £59 million below what’s required, and almost £40 million less than the costs that were incurred last year.

“The £59 million gap has to be closed. And that means cuts. Cuts in officer and staff numbers.

“We have watched our executive preside over an unforgivable decline in our health service and now they seem determined to do the same with policing.

“In effect, our executive has shown wilful disregard to policing’s legitimate concerns around keeping all our communities safe.

“Policing and policing services will be catastrophically impacted by any reduction in the budget.”

Mr Lindsay said that, without an adequate budget, officer numbers will fall to 6,773 with recruitment held at just 85 students this year.

He said that soaring cost-of-living price hikes are also hitting the PSNI, and that in April there was an overspend of £800,000 on fuel and utilities.

Mr Lindsay said: “You cannot deliver a quality service if officer numbers aren’t there or rising fuel costs mean patrol cars are rationed and prioritised to only attend the most serious incidents.

“Do our politicians realise the damage they are about to inflict? Do they care?

“Or is there an attitude that because we did it before, we can do it again?

“Or will they only take notice whenever the people who elect them say ‘enough is enough’.

The road ahead for policing is anything but comfortable.

“Right now, we are staring a bleak future with challenges that will test our mettle as never before.”

He asked Justice Minister Naomi Long to “please take back with you our sense of hurt and anger over the way we have been treated.

“Platitudes about how valued policing, and police officers are, don’t cut it anymore”.

He said officer goodwill was being abused and they had to register their “great displeasure in a tangible way and send a message to ministers that officers are at the end of their tether.”

Mr Lindsay also touched on the current political stagnation at Stormont was no executive, no assembly, no speaker, no three-year budget and no programme for government.

He continued: “Frankly, our community, and policing, deserve better.”