Baggott: I need funds to tackle dissidents
THE PSNI needs solid funding for at least the next five years to “relentlessly pursue terrorists”, according to chief constable Matt Baggott.
In a wide-ranging interview with the News Letter, the chief constable is clear that tackling terrorism is an issue that must be adequately funded.
“My arguments and discussions with the politicians are, you have to give me that (funding) for at least the next five years so I don’t give these people a chance to regroup, re-form and continue the campaigns of old. Nobody wants that,” said Northern Ireland’s top police officer.
“There are enough misguided people who have no political ambition other than to dismantle and to make people scared and they have been very clear about that.
“The best, most sophisticated counter-terrorism policing in the world will be focused at these individuals.”
In relation to talks with dissident republicans, he said: “I think that is a matter for the politicians. Persuasion is the word I would use. I think persuasion is about getting people to realise that they are completely misplaced. Not only are they completely wrong but what they are doing is repugnant to the vast majority.
“The way they want to influence politics is to do it through the ballot box. I think that’s about persuasion. But my job is to relentlessly pursue these people … who are trying to kill us and kill people in the community and put them before the courts.
“This year we have already charged three times more people than the whole of last year. So, if anybody doubts my intent and the ability of the PSNI in going after these people, look at the figures. That’s not to say we don’t have a lot more to do because we have. But I have put tens of millions of pounds already back into tackling terrorism.”
He denied the PSNI was at breaking point but was clear that sufficient funding is needed to maintain the current level of policing.
“If we have significant cutbacks in policing, there will be things that I won’t be able to do, whether that is dealing with the past, or implementing the very personal policing that people want or rescuing people from the sex industry like we did last weekend,” he said.
“I have some big dilemmas. I’m being asked to do the past and the present and the future with numbers that are reducing.”
