Chief Constable welcomes devolution resolution
09 Mar 2010
Chief Constable Matt Baggott welcomed the passing of the vote on the transfer of powers of policing and justice in the Northern Ireland Assembly today. He said “I welcome the passing of this resolution which will see the policing and justice powers being devolved to our local Government. The PSNI has been working tirelessly towards making Northern Ireland a more secure place for everyone. We are already demonstrating our intent to build a safer future. This can only help us achieve the peaceful society that we all want, and that we are all striving towards.
"Devolution will strengthen our service. It will help to ensure that communities receive the policing service that not only they deserve, but that we are committed to delivering. The financial package is also welcomed. This will better enable us to move forward whilst also funding a number of legacy issues such as hearing loss claims. It will help us deal with those who are living in the darkness of the past and who have tried to disrupt this process and the lives of our community.
"We will play our part by becoming the finest personal, professional and protective police service in the world and with road deaths and crime at their lowest in many, many years, we are in a good place to take all of our communities' aspirations forward. I am looking forward to working alongside the new Minister and the Department of Justice. I am looking forward to solving problems with those representatives and communities who have a vested and heartfelt interest and desire to see Northern Ireland progress into the country it has the potential to be. I am immensely proud of this police service and it is absolutely essential that we retain our accountability. I would therefore like to reaffirm my commitment to working with the Policing Board who are there to ensure that this police service is as effective and efficient as it can be.
"Today, a strong message has been sent. We as a society can now work closer together and plan for the future."
