Fears over rising crime in PSNI funding crisis: Public protection concerns raised by chief constable

By Mark Rainey and PA
Published 27th Jan 2023, 07:45 BST
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Public protection concerns have been raised after the chief constable revealed that an £80m shortfall in the police budget is leaving the PSNI hundreds of officers under strength.

​Simon Byrne said there will be fewer officers, fewer vehicles, postponed building maintenance and a potential delayed response to calls.

The budgetary crisis “threatens to embolden offending and reduce protections for victims,” Policing Board member Trevor Clark has said.

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The DUP representative said underfunding warnings had been ignored and added: “As a result, communities in Northern Ireland face a new era of less visible and less responsible policing in our Province. That is unjustifiable".

​Northern Ireland's chief constable has warned that his force will shrink to its lowest levels since the PSNI was founded because of a funding shortfall​Northern Ireland's chief constable has warned that his force will shrink to its lowest levels since the PSNI was founded because of a funding shortfall
​Northern Ireland's chief constable has warned that his force will shrink to its lowest levels since the PSNI was founded because of a funding shortfall

Mike Nesbitt, an UUP member of the board, also expressed concern.

He said he has been assured that the PSNI “can continue to deliver,” but added: “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”.

Mr Bryne said the PSNI will protect core emergency incident responses… and protect areas of risk such as domestic abuse, sexual crime and child abuse.