PSNI Inspector is relishing her new city role

PSNI Inspector Michelle Boyd, was appointed to the job in September and will head up a team of four, in a bid to tackle problems experienced in a working area that spans across the entire city.

Speaking to the Sentinel whilst on a visit to the Fountain estate last week, Inspector Boyd has spent the last 16 years of her police career in G District-the last ten of them in the Foyle area.

Having served with CID, and as the city’s Response Inspector as well as spearheading the area’s Domestic Violence Unit, she says she has a “good grasp” of the workings of Londonderry that will enable her to liase first hand with the communities across her patch.

“Part of what we want to achieve is to integrate into the community as much as possible. We still will have a major responsibility to protect life and prevent crime, but it is vital we get into the community,” she said.

The Inspector maintained that policing was most effective when it works in tandem with communities and other agencies.

“We have a small team to cover the whole city; from the city centre to the Pennyburn area. But we plan to have dedicated officers to look after the Fountain. We will definitely work one-to-one within the community.”

The senior officer also indicated an awareness of the specific difficulties facing the Fountain area. She said: “Obviously there are fundamental problems in that it is on a sectarian divide. There have been tensions between the Bogside, the Brandywell and the Fountain. They have settled down in the last couple of months but we have to avoid complacency.”

Inspector Boyd also said that the PSNI are working on schemes such as football games between the PSNI and the city’s communities to engender “respect for diversity.”