26 police bases to close as unionists lose vote
A row has erupted after a majority of Policing Board members voted to sell off 26 police stations across Northern Ireland freeing up £5m which is to be ploughed back into policing.
DUP and Ulster Unionist members of the board opposed 20 out of 26 closures, but were out-voted by other members at a meeting yesterday.
And while unionist representatives have accused the police of failing to provide any viable policing alternatives, the SDLP and Sinn Fein have welcomed the move and said it will free up valuable resources which can be used to fund frontline services.
The stations that are already closed and have been earmarked for disposal are Greencastle, Greyabbey, Dromara, Toomebridge, Templepatrick, Loughgall, Markethill, Belcoo, Belleek, Coagh, Fivemiletown, Newtownbutler, Pomeroy, Stewartstown, Bellaghy, Claudy, Donemana, Newtownstewart, Kilrea and Portstewart.
The Policing Board also agreed that Mountpottinger, Portadown, Bessbrook, Rathfriland, Kesh and Kells will be disposed of following their planned closures.
Speaking after the meeting, Board chairman Barry Gilligan said: “The ongoing cost of maintenance and upkeep of stations not operationally required is simply not justifiable in the current economic climate and in light of funding pressures facing policing. The board has to ensure value for money and ensure that resources available for policing are used to best effect.
“The board has asked the PSNI to provide a report for the September meeting on how the monies raised from these disposals will be reinvested into policing and in improving policing services in local areas.”
Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie and senior PSNI officers were at the meeting to address any concerns about the plans.
However, DUP members of the Policing Board Peter Weir, Ian Paisley Jnr, Jimmy Spratt and Tom Buchanan have expressed anger and disappointment after accusing the PSNI of failing to produce alternative plans for policing in areas where the stations are to go, before the decision was made.
“Whilst we acknowledge the rationale behind the station reviews and the need for efficient use of resources, the decisions taken allows frontline policing to be a casualty of budgetary shortfalls,” they said.
“As a party we strongly believed that any alternative policing arrangements should not only have been in place and working successfully, but it should be ensured that they were sustainable in the future. Anything less will only be a retrograde step for policing in these communities.”
UUP Policing Board member Basil McCrea also expressed outrage at yesterday’s decision to sell off the buildings ahead of any acceptable policing alternative plans.
“We have recorded our objections to the closure of the stations,” he said.
“The PSNI have mishandled the estate strategy. There has been a lack of effective communication and a distinct lack of viable alternatives on offer. We have again put it to the deputy chief constable that she must come back to the Policing Board with initiatives which clearly address the concerns of the communities most affected by these closures.”
Sinn Fein’s Daithi McKay, a member of the Policing Board, welcomed the vote which he said was another essential step towards the normalisation of policing in Northern Ireland.
“Sinn Fein supported this decision which the PSNI proposed in the first place,” he said.
“At the end of the day, the board is responsible for the police estate and must ensure that we are prudent with our financial resources. It was quite clear that most of the stations were not in use at all and were costing the ratepayer millions of pounds. It would have been silly to retain these stations in light of that.
“There is no benefit to these buildings being retained,” he said.
