West Belfast Sinn Féin Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Cush speaks in advance of West Belfast policing plan launch

Published: 31 March, 2009

The West Belfast policing plan for 2009/2010 will be launched by Belfast Sinn Féin Mayor Tom Hartley at Clarendon Dock this Friday, 3rd April, at 11.30am.

In advance of the policing plan launch, Sinn Féin councillor and West Belfast District Policing Partnership member Máire Cush gives her view on the process involved in putting together the new plan and on Sinn Féin's critical engagement with the PSNI.

''In January 2007, a historic decision was taken at an extraordinary Sinn Féin Ard Fhéis to critically engage with policing structures in the North,'' Ms Cush said.

''In September 2007, Sinn Féin representatives took up their places on DPPs to advance the work that Sinn Féin had been involved in to create a new beginning for policing.

''What we found was that there was a policing plan for West Belfast that had been put together without consultation with the biggest and most important stakeholder in the whole policing process - the people of West Belfast.

''Up until late 2008, I was Chairperson of the West Belfast DPP. A decision was taken by the DPP to consult widely with the public on what they wanted to see in the 2009/2010 policing plan. Public consultations were held throughout West Belfast in November 2008 - in Glen community centre in Lenadoon, the Millenium Centre on the Springfield Road, the Falls Leisure centre and Highfield community centre in the Shankill area.

''This was the first time the public had been asked for their opinion on what they felt were the policing priorities for West Belfast and was a genuine attempt to reflect the views of the community by taking views, discussing these with the PSNI and arguing strongly for changes to be made. When agreement was finally reached over what should be in the plan we went back to the community to check with them that it met what they had asked for during consultations. Policing cannot exist in isolation from the people. It has to be part of the community and in carrying out this extensive consultation we made some inroads into creating a process for the delivery of community policing.

''Sinn Féin has had a very robust engagement with the PSNI to date and will be critical and hold the PSNI to account when there are instances of bad policing. Equally, we will acknowledge instances of good policing when they occur.

''Our community wants policing to work. They want a policing service that is responsive to their needs and delivers for them. That is the challenge that faces the PSNI and it is a challenge that they need to meet.

''The new policing plan is not everything we would have wanted but it is a good start and is part of a process that will take some time, and that is the process to create a fully accountable, civic policing service.''