PRESS RELEASE : Police funding crisis highlights need for return to functioning Institutions – Mike Nesbitt [January 2023]

The press release issued by the Ulster Unionist Party on 26 January 2023.

The Ulster Unionist Party’s Policing Board representative, Mike Nesbitt MLA, has warned that today’s announcement of police cuts highlights the importance of restoring devolution and that action is needed urgently to restore police morale.

Mike Nesbitt said:

“I sense this is pushing the PSNI down the same road as the NHS, to become an almost exclusively reactive body, not a preventative one. This has long-term negative implications.

“It also means in many cases reaction times will be slower than the public expects.

“It does not mean the PSNI is no longer fit for purpose. I have been assured the PSNI can continue to deliver. It reminds me of the old Dickens quote about the best of times and the worst of times. Northern Ireland remains one of the safest regions of the UK, yet recorded crime is up, as is the number of homicides and 999 calls.

“Given the NHS and the Education Authority are also in the news because of funding shortfalls, the argument is made that we need a functioning set of devolved institutions to start taking some tough political decisions.

“I remain deeply concerned about the impact on serving officers, who often work 16 hour shifts and are continuously asked to do more for less. My interactions with police officers indicate morale is already very low and today’s news will not help.”