Policing the Elections - Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie
30 Apr 2010
The Police Service, in conjunction with the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, has thorough and robust plans in place for the forthcoming UK Parliamentary general election on 6 May.
At a press conference at PSNI headquarters earlier today, Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie said, “We are aware that certain elements within society will want to cause disruption in the run up to the Elections in order to try and damage the stability and political progress in Northern Ireland.
“We saw this most recently on the attack at Palace Barracks on the very day that Policing and Justice was devolved to the local Assembly.
“The reality is that these are not just attacks on democracy they are also attack on the communities we all live in.
“Everyone has a basic fundamental right to vote in a democratic society so we will be doing everything we can to ensure people are able to do this in a safe and secure environment.”
A series of assessments have been carried out in relation to each polling and counting station and there will be appropriate resources in place in each area.
She continued, “We have stepped up our security response and there will be a greater number of vehicle check points in operation as well as an increased police presence over the next few days and week ahead.
“We recognise that this can be a real inconvenience to members of the public but we hope that people understand that it is for everyone’s safety and that it is a necessity in helping us deal with the current increased threat.
“We will be doing everything in our power to stop any planned disruption and deal with the very real and serious security threat but for police to do this effectively we need support and information from the community, information that will prevent further attacks and information that will help us apprehend and convict these terrorists. People know who are involved in these attacks. We need these people to come forward and give the PSNI the support we require.
“We would ask people to be particularly vigilant over the next week and report any suspicious behaviour to police on 0845 600 8000 or in an emergency dial 999.”
