Letter: Respect is an important civic virtue - and it's at the centre of policing

A letter from the Most Rev’d John McDowell:

Those of us who have watched “Peelers” on BBC TV will by now be familiar with the range and complexity of work which the average PSNI constable has to deal with on an average day.

placeholder image — Trevor Purcell, Vice-Chair Police Federation, Archbishop of Armagh John McDowell, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, Catholic Archbishop Eamon Martin, and Mukesh Sharma, Vice-Chair NI Policing Board

Although in fact there is no such thing as an average constable or an average day.

So, it was a privilege to have been a guest at a recent Attestation Ceremony, at the PSNI Police College at Garnerville, for 37 new officers as they paraded in front of their friends, family and colleagues. They were a diverse group who had undergone the rigorous physical, psychological and intellectual 22-week training programme at the PSNI training college in Belfast and they were a delight to be with.

It is a fundamental characteristic of any democracy that its citizens trust the police. There are of course other elements of a functioning democracy-a free press, free elections, and an independent judiciary. However, most of us will never appear before a judge in a court of law or speak to a journalist.

But all of us will almost certainly encounter a police constable at some point in our lives, and almost certainly we will hope that they are able to help us and reassure us in often very difficult situations. It is partly for that reason that the leadership of the PSNI have been doing their utmost to ensure that the make-up of the service reflects the make-up of society in Northern Ireland.

Perhaps the most often used word in the speeches and in conversation on the day was “respect” – respect for victims, respect for the law, respect for suspects and respect for the uniform and what it symbolises.

Respect is an important civic virtue and is much stronger and more positive than tolerance. It was very moving to see it highlighted in the simple but memorable words of the attestation itself which talks about “upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all individuals and their traditions and beliefs”.

I extended the 37 every best wish as they head to their designated PSNI stations and embark on a policing career that holds dear to the finest traditions of policing and commitment to our entire community.

Most Rev’d John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland