PSNI could lose 1,000 officers if budget not resolved

Chief Constable Simon Byrne has expressed concern about the PSNI budget going forward.

Mr Byrne was speaking during a visit to Derry's Strand Road Police Station on Thursday afternoon.

Speaking to Derry News, he warned the PSNI was only going to be funded for the next few weeks, in the absence of a government being formed at Stormont.

Chief Constable Byrne said: “We are worried about the budgetary situation. We anticipate losing 1,000 police officers over the next three years if the budget is not resolved.

“One of the issues here is we have seen real progress on neighbourhood policing and we are determined to keep that going but, inevitably, as the cuts bite, we are going to see, probably less people conducting investigations and that will be a slower experience for victims, so we are clearly worried about that.”