Attending the Police Federation of Northern Ireland Annual Conference, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: “I was delighted to be invited to the Police Federation conference. This was another important opportunity for me to listen to colleagues about the challenges they face on a daily basis.

“The message delivered to government today by the Federation Chair was undoubtedly a hard-hitting one. He made crystal clear the relentless pressure on police officers and their families caused by the lack of an effective Policing budget, falling officer numbers and assaults on police.

“I share the Federation’s concerns and frustration about resourcing pressures. This is a message I hear from officers across the country and it is one I have been delivering at the Policing Board, Stormont and Westminster. The financial challenges facing the PSNI remain critical. Each day the PSNI buckles a little more as we desperately try to manage the unique challenges of policing a post conflict society with a wholly inadequate funding. As an example of how the organisation has been let down, our current legacy costs are in excess of £20 million each year and perhaps surprisingly to everyone we are not funded for these costs. The cost of dealing with legacy comes out of our core budget that should be spent on policing Northern Ireland today, that money should be providing police officers in our Neighbourhood and Response Teams, it should be paying for detectives to investigate and solve crimes. If legacy was properly and separately funded, as it should be, I could recruit a further 400 officers and the PSNI could provide the policing services we all desperately want to. It is beyond frustrating that since policing was devolved in 2010 there has been no funding plan for the legacy costs incurred by PSNI. Policing a post conflict society comes with many additional costs. That we are not funded for these has had a direct and detrimental impact on the trust and confidence of communities in the PSNI.

“The Recovery Business Plan was a modest and proportionate response to re-build the PSNI. The case is inarguable. I am determined to put back the officers that have been taken away over the years. The consequences of not funding the PSNI will be felt by communities across Northern Ireland. Numerous independent bodies have set out very clearly the consequences of the unacceptable funding and its impact on our ability to manage high risk offenders, investigate and prevent serious crimes, deal with anti-social behaviour and tackle the intimidating activities of paramilitaries that ruin lives across our communities.         

“Policing is a tough profession and the officers and staff of the Police Service who stand up to serve the people of Northern Ireland deserve our admiration, respect and support. I am immensely proud to lead them. Support for policing, and for our police officers, needs to be society wide. It needs to be recognised and understood that it is simply not acceptable to assault police officers. I remain alarmed at the apparent tolerance and indifference that exists here in Northern Ireland towards assaults of our police.  We cannot, and will not, simply stand by and accept it.

“On all of these most pressing of issues, the Federation and the PSNI leadership team are in absolute agreement. Alongside our strategic focus on victims and communities, the new Policing Plan makes clear our determination to be workforce focused and I will continue to work closely with the Police Federation and others to support our colleagues in every way I can.”