Operation Exposure success

Operation Exposure was piloted at the end of 2009 and formally launched as a regular feature of policing in Londonderry in March this year.

PSNI Inspector Jon Burrows has told the Sentinel that the operation, the first its type anywhere in Northern Ireland, is an example that: "These steps show that policing works best when in partnership with the public. We wished to harness the public's help in the fight against crime."

Upwards of 100 photographs have been published to date. And, according to police statistics 80 of those in the pictures have been positively identified, with more than 60 of those having now been entered into the criminal justice system. Police expect that particular figure to rise as work to process further cases continues.

Mr Burrows said: "Most of those identified have already been arrested, and we are still working through the rest. The crimes concerned in these arrests have ranged from very serious assaults, thefts, to shop lifting and burglary. I view this as being at the business end of community policing. It is the police and the community working together to catch criminals."

At the launch of the operation last year, the PSNI in Londonderry said there was an immediate and high response to the publication of the pictures in the local press. This level of response has not abated according to Inspector Burrows.

"The public response has been overwhelming and demonstrates that local people have in the police service here. It shows the public trust us with information and that people are being arrested as a result.

"People have actually walked into police stations and handed themselves, we have been contacted by solicitors and we know that family members have also encouraged people to hand themselves in. Evidence also shows that the policy has been embraced by both sides of the community."

Mr Burrows therefore believes that this is an overall vindication of the PSNI'S policy on concentrating on community engagement where possible and that it has extended beyond Operation Exposure into other specific spheres of policing.

The senior policeman said that when the PSNI liased with the community one leading public concern was the level of drug dealing in the command area.

"The results have been that the PSNI last year seized 1 million pounds of drugs and 30 more drug dealers are off the streets. This is the result of same concept-partnership policing. It shows that community policing works and there is now a vibrant relationship between the police and the public.

"When the modern police service, was begun way back, by Robert Peel he said that 'the public were the police service and the police service were the public.'

"There is no better demonstration of this than Operation Exposure.

"On his first day in office, Chief Constable Matt Baggott said that 'the answers to most problems lie with local people', and this operation is also a good example of this."