COMMITTED TO CRACKING DOWN ON CRIME

The PSNI will also be focused on building further confidence in its service to the community as well as protecting the vulnerable in society.

These aims were laid out in the 2013/2014 Policing Plan, which sets out priorities and ambitions for the next 12 months, in response to feedback from the community.

Area Commander Chief Inspector Jane Humphries said the plan commits police to delivering against the three core principles of personal, professional and protective policing. Personal means identifying and effectively dealing with those issues which affect people’s quality of life, while professional means providing an effective means of policing. Protective policing will put in place measures to ensure that people are safe from the threats posed by violent crime and drugs.

“We will be focusing on reducing crimes like anti-social behaviour, building further confidence in our service to communities and protecting the vulnerable. We have built this plan around what local people have has told us they want and by paying particular attention to the needs of our community we will ensure that we are doing everything we can to make sure they feel safe and secure,” she said.

Policing and Community Safety Partnerships Chairman (PCSP) Cllr John McNamee said the plan for the incoming year is a snap shot of just some of the work that has taken place between the PCSP and police over the past number of months.

“The plan represents a tangible ‘contract’ between police, PCSP and the local community for delivering local policing for everybody who lives, works, shops and socialises in our district,” he said.

Cllr McNamee explained that in agreeing the areas to be covered in the plan, the partnership took into account evidence and information identified through surveys, other consultation exercises and feedback from the community on how they felt their area was and should be policed.

“As many of the priorities which featured in last year’s plan continue to be of top priority, complete success in reducing them further will require everyone’s assistance in supporting the police to help keep crime out of our areas by reporting any suspicious or criminal activity at the earliest opportunity,” he said.

And he added: “The partnership will continue to monitor the work of Cookstown police at their public meetings against the priorities and targets set in the plan, to which members of the public are encouraged to attend.”