Baggott won’t be ‘sidetracked by threat’
Northern Ireland’s new Chief Constable has stressed that he will not let the dissident threat take the focus of policing work here.
Matt Baggot made the comment during his first meeting with the Policing Board.
He said that, while dissidents pose a serious danger, he won’t allow the issue to sidetrack him from dealing with dangerous driving and making communities safer.
The 50-year-old father-of-three has arrived in the job at a time when downward crime rates have suddenly been jolting upward again.
The latest six monthly statistical bulletin provided stark evidence of that as it was presented to board members by Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie.
Headline figures show a 4.2% rise in overall crime compared to the same period last year, with a significant 21.9% spike in the most serious types of violent crime, such as murder, attempted murder, wounding and GBH.
Burglaries and other acquisitive offences are also up.
Road fatalities are also on the increase on last year, with 91 people having lost their lives so far this year.
‘Red tape’
Matt Baggott chose his first appearance before the NI Policing Board to stress the need to challenge the form-filling culture which diverted police men and women from helping communities on the front line.
He warned that his officers were being stifled by red tape and excessive bureaucracy.
Sir Hugh Orde’s successor said there was a tendency within modern policing to judge performance by the amount of paperwork officers produced.
“I think bureaucracy can be a very helpful comfort blanket,” said the former Leicestershire chief.
“You can show success by filling in a form well, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are doing the things that matter.”
His assessment comes only weeks after a leaked internal report on the PSNI claimed that the service is being choked with forms and paperwork, with 61% of officers’ time spent inside stations rather than on the streets.
The Strategic Review 2009 document said a bureaucratic “compliance-based culture” within the PSNI had blunted its ability to serve the public.
Warning of the “tyranny of too much red tape”, Mr Baggott told board members he would strive to give his officers more time and discretion to do their job.
He said some level of bureaucracy was necessary to make the service accountable, but added that when it became pervasive it could hinder the police.
He added: “I have seen many, many colleagues in my years of service who have suddenly been liberated from the tyranny of too much red tape suddenly rediscover their passion and commitment for policing.”
On Wednesday night it emerged that the government has agreed to give the PSNI new powers to deal with low level crime without the need for extensive paperwork.
