'Cutting station opening hours provides officers for front-line policing'
SENIOR PSNI officers have defended a controversial move to slash opening hours at two local police stations.
As revealed in the Times last week, from September 1, the enquiry office at Newtownabbey’s police headquarters on the Shore Road will be closed to members of the public for routine business from 11pm to 8am. The station will still be manned at nights by security personnel who will be able to assist people calling in an emergency situation.
From the same date, the enquiry office at Ballyclare station will only be open to the public for two hours each week - Tuesdays and Fridays from 7pm to 8pm.
The decision to cut opening hours across D District, taken following analysis that showed very few people were actually calling at stations at certain times, is aimed at freeing up more officers for front-line duties. It comes after consultation between senior PSNI officers and local District Policing Partnership and political representatives.
The borough’s most senior officer, Chief Inspector Paula Hilman, has given an assurance that the move to “maximise resources” will help police to be more responsive to the needs of the local community.
“Members of the public constantly tell us that they want more police officers back on the beat to respond to the crimes that matter to them the most - anti-social behaviour, burglaries, car crime etc.
“This is about ensuring that we have the right people, in the right places, at the right time. It will not mean a reduction in service, people can still report crime and incidents via 999, the non-emergency number - 0845 600 8000, or go to the stations in an emergency.
“Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay and District Commander Chief Superintendent Henry Irvine have been meeting with community leaders and other stakeholders over recent months to brief them on our rationale for the reduction in enquiry office opening hours and reassure them that far from being a reduction in service, this move will actually lead to more police officers being available to respond to the most pressing concerns of the community,” she said.
The move to slash opening hours at Ballyclare station comes following the recent move of the Explosives Escort Unit away from the Ballynure Road barracks.
Arguing that it is no longer viable to man the station 24 hours a day, the police have given an assurance that response officers will continue to be deployed from Newtownabbey station. They have also revealed that “a mobile police station will be deployed in rural areas over the next few months.”
“I have consulted with Newtownabbey DPP and Ballyclare Community Forum and everybody agrees that tying up an officer on enquiry office duties full-time is not the best use of our resources.
“We are responding to the local communities’ wishes to increase both our visibility and their ease of contact with police by having more officers on the ground who can respond directly to their needs. We also intend to develop our neighbourhood surgeries in the future to strengthen our relationships with the community,” Chief Inspector Hilman added.
According to the police, the changes will bring stations in D District into line with those in other parts of Northern Ireland and the UK.
• Local Neighbourhood Policing Teams can be reached on the following numbers: Antrim Line - 028 9025 9393, email: NPTAntrimline@psni.pnn.police.uk; Ballyclare - 028 9025 9696, email: NPTBallyclare@psni.pnn.police.uk; Macedon - 028 9025 9336, email: NPTMacedon@psni.pnn.police.uk; University - 028 9025 9339, email: NPTUniversity@psni.pnn.police.uk
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Weather for Newtownabbey
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 7 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South
