Ford praises community policing commitment

5.27.00pm GMT Tue 18th May 2010

Justice Minister David Ford

Justice Minister David Ford has praised the commitment of the PSNI to deliver community policing across Northern Ireland in the face of the current threat level.

Speaking at today's Police Superintendents' Association annual general meeting, David Ford described the Dissident campaign as an attack on the entire community and on those who want to take Northern Ireland forward.

Mr Ford, the first locally elected Justice Minister to address the Association, described the devolution of policing and justice as a golden opportunity to build a safer Northern Ireland.

He said: "As Justice Minister, I want to help build a shared future in which everyone feels safe and does not live in fear, and the PSNI are central to delivering this vision.

"Community policing, developing partnerships at a local level to turn people away from crime and make people feel safer in their homes, is at the heart of achieving that objective.

"Your commitment to delivering community policing despite the threat that officers face speaks volumes for your selfless commitment to serve the people of Northern Ireland.

"Those who threaten the police are choosing to threaten everyone who is working for the safety of their neighbours and their neighbourhoods."

The Minister said that devolution of policing and justice powers is good for all the people of Northern Ireland. "For too long Northern Ireland has been a divided society. With justice powers now sitting alongside health, education, social development and others there is a real opportunity to break down divisions of the past. Everyone can now be working towards the shared goal of a safer Northern Ireland."