“Maybe that is the most worrying part of the story.”
The BBC report that the deputy chief constable, Judith Gillespie, is to meet some of the eight officers who came across that paramilitary checkpoint in Meigh, south Armagh. Which should be an interesting conversation.. Meanwhile, Malachi has some further thoughts on the display.
One thing can be said with confidence about the decision of dissident republicans to mount a checkpoint in South Armagh on Friday: they had made the judgement that it would be safe for them to block the road and to display weapons in the open air. That judgement was vindicated. They were right.
Adds Thanks to fair deal in the comments. It might not be the most worrying part of the story after all. The BBC’s Vincent Kearney has seen an internal PSNI report on the state of policing in Northern Ireland.
It said police were not delivering an effective service and had lost sight of what was important to communities. The report said officers in districts spend an average of 61% of their time in stations on administrative tasks. It said the PSNI does not provide “an effective 24-hour policing service” because officers are not deployed when and where needed. The report, labelled restricted, was intended exclusively for an internal police readership, which probably explains why the language used was so frank.
A crap police service, a joke of a prison service, who appear to spend 50% of their time asleep, and now a health service not fit for purpose
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6812274.ece
Still, musn’t grumble….
looks like the Tory knifes are out for the NHS then, is Davey lying when he says nice things about the NHS or has he no control over his party.
Regarding all the comments regarding the cops, where does this fit with unionist confidence in P&J been devolved, is it that London is doing the best it can on Policing or that things would be worse if it was devolved,
Policing in NI won’t be to high on Labour or Tory election agendas, so there an onus on the politicans who want the status quo to come up with some answers OR the pro devolution politicans need to give a roadmap of how they’ll improve things.
Why not do a ‘dragons den’ for potential ministers for the role, get them and their parties to pitch for the job or pitch for responsibility remaining in London.
There seems to be 2 different arguements, public perception is that the cops aren’t doing their job, the police report seems to be an admission of this.
Yet the UUP and DUP are worried about funding.
Is underfunding the problem or is it how the police are been managed, if its funding then its a problem if its devolved or not. If its management than surely police performance been related to votes means devolution is the best option.
Who is politically responsible for the PSNI today, has these issues been raised with him/her?
Presumably political control of the PSNI lies with the NIO and therefore Shaun Woodward. But he’s part of a lame duck cabinet that are mostly on holiday and Orde has effectively left, crowing about his ‘transformation’.
The new CC is an Orde clone. So effectively nothing will change. Unless the situation deteriorates badly.
My guess is that all concerned are just hoping the report disappears into the ether.
To summarise. Nobody in the PSNI or government (Stormont or Westminster)gives a fuck.
“political control of the PSNI lies with the NIO”
Driftwood, policing and justice have an input from the BIIC Joint Secretariat, Windsor House, Bedford Street, Belfast – the post-1985 ‘securocrats’
Well, if policing goes to pot in GB and crime rises its a stick to beat the PrimeMinister and government with, so unless there’s a counter arguement out there it looks like local responsibility is the way forward, giving NI the right to speak via the ballot box on their feelings towards the standard of policing.
But it would still be nice to draw out the more hardline unionists on slugger who want stormont shut down and for NI to be administered from London, why they are unhappy with policing, which is currently administered from London. Are they happy to live with the current situation just to achieve the shutdown of Stormont, or is there a solution to policing which doesn’t involve devolution.
Some would say the arguements to close Stormont are a mask to been unhappy with powersharing, and not wishing for devolution is not wanting a nationalist minister in the future. Obviously some will wish for a return to the old RUC.
But is there a sensible answer out there
How about a lot more power in the hands of policing boards?
“currently administered from London.”
London and Dublin since, er, 1985, fin. Don’t tell those recalcitrant unionists – or Pete; let it be our little secret.
fin
If Policing and Justice are devolved, and the PSNI need some Army backup,(they already do actually with Bomb Disposal and technical training) it will be a London decision anyway.
Nevin I’ve no problem with Dublin being involved in a minor advisory capacity, as exists at present.
What’s happenin’ on the Stormont gravy train these days anyway? On the legislation front I mean, not the barstool nitpicking.
“Dublin being involved in a minor advisory capacity, as exists at present.”
So you didn’t know that Dublin officials are involved in policy and day-to-day decision making, Driftwood …
So you didn’t know that Dublin officials are involved in policy and day-to-day decision making, Driftwood …
I didn’t know they had a role with the Ministry of Defence, Nevin, no.
What do you think the Dublin advice was on the Afghanistan mission? And I’d be interested to hear their advice on Operation Panther’s Claw.
Maybe an FoI query?
Fair Deal,
Re Martina Purdy: ‘I agree PR did not come across well in that interview. Her repeated interruptions were to try and get a reaction and it succeeded and he came off the worst as a result…He didn’t roll over and play dead how terrible..’
I came across this clip, it is soooooo Peter Robinson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS37SNYjg8w&NR=1&feature=fvwp
Enjoy me ole china!
Peter Robinson vs Martina Purdy
“Do hold on a minute..do you want to come round here?..and do have the manners”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7986582.stm
…Know your place??: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS37SNYjg8w&NR=1&feature=fvwp
Driftwood, obviously any decisions concerning the BA would reside in London,
Nevin, London, Dublin, the UN, whereever, no-one has named someone in politics with responsibility for policing in NI, and if someone does name a name, can they also state what the individual is doing about policing.
Look at the political involvement in the recent resignation and appointment of the Met Chief in London, incidents like this highlight that unionism not wanting the devolution of P&J is solely to stop a nationalist getting the job, the TUV, UUP and DUP (in that order) have been the most vocal on this recently, but they’re not coming out with any answers to the fact that even the Police agree they’re not very good at policing. I think unionism has changed and its no longer good enough for politicans to sling mud at the other side, they’ve been given responsibility and need to behave like real politicans, the way things are going certain parties are going to start getting smaller in the near future as the current crop of politicans can’t handle the new situation and responsibilities.
“what the individual is doing about policing.”
It would be unfair and inappropriate for me to name individuals but I’ve previously described the process, fin.
We’ve been badly let down by the MSM when it comes to educating the public about how the policing and justice system operates – in practice as distinct from what it says in print. For example, it would appear that inter-governmental decisions are still not subject to parliamentary scrutiny; ministers and officials can’t be held to account.
This theme also highlights a weakness in Slugger O’Toole and its bloggers’ reliance on MSM sources.
Nevin: Driftwood, policing and justice have an input from the BIIC Joint Secretariat, Windsor House, Bedford Street, Belfast
No wonder the PSNI are increasingly ineffectual. Does the BIIC have any useful guidance to offer the Gardai, by the way?
Gives a whole new meaning to “move along nothing to see here” when the cops are doing the moving along.
Elect your local sherriff (provided he/she qualifies). Kick him out if he’s crap. Whole new policing culture instantaneously (that’s if as democrats you really do believe the people can be trusted to make their own decisions).
Driftwood,
As far as I remember, the resident insurgents down in the Watermargins of Yang Shang Po made wee boys out of your chaps for decades even with all your technology and vastly superior numbers, primarily because the chaps had little to no intel on the ground. Why would this change now if they couldn’t do it for forty years? And didn’t an old iraqi shepherd with a .303 enfield drop an Apache in Gulf One