Police chief wants more recruitment

Gee-22

More police should be recruited to deal with the severe threat from terrorism and potential public disorder, the Police Federation has said.

Around 5,500 officers have retired since 1998 and more than 1,000 are expected to leave within four years, chairman Terry Spence added.

Each year around 3,000 are assaulted while carrying out their duties. There is a freeze on recruitment.

Mr Spence told the Federation annual conference: "Despite the headline costs, extended periods of overtime is the cheaper alternative to bringing the PSNI up to effective operational strength.

"But now that it looks clear the current severe threat of terrorism and the potential public order volatility will endure, then a more realistic and honest answer would be to start recruiting again.

"It is unacceptable that we should have to wait until further atrocity to make the case to the Executive (of ministers at Stormont) for more officers."

Mr Spence said officers were under unacceptable physical pressure - some working 12-hour shifts - leaving them fatigued and burnt-out in a job where they are expected to be alert and energetic.

He added: "The official cliche is that we need to do more with less - an expression which is convenient, glib nonsense. We cannot deliver the proper level of service without adequate numbers of officers."

Justice Minister David Ford recalled in March that chief constable Matt Baggott said he was satisfied with the PSNI's operational capability within its 2010 budget allocation. An extra £245 million funding was secured to deal with security issues.

Mr Ford said: "The chief constable has also assured me that he will keep officer numbers under review and if a compelling requirement exists to increase numbers that he will make a case to my department in such circumstances. I hope, Mr Chairman, that my department has shown that we do listen when cases are made to us."

http://www.herald.ie/breaking-news/national-news/police-chief-wants-more-recruitment-3138849.html

Delancey

To be brutally frank the Police Federation are a pain in the ass ( in my opinion ) - they call for more recruitment yet at the same time criticise those who have questioned or condemned the ' jobs for the boys ' practice of re-hiring ex-Police without any sort of public advertising of positions.
Only recently they accused people of '' having an anti-RUC agenda '' when they questioned the jobs for the boys and all the while conveniently 'forgetting' that recruitment will not happen as long as these positions remain filled.
As I see it the Police Federation are acting in a duplicitious fashion and need to decide whether they want to run with the fox or hunt with the hounds ( or to be a little less polite - sh** or get off the pot ! )

wanadrum

Interesting post Delancy, is it not fair to say though that the federation are looking for more people even with the jobs for the boys being there? Ideally for me they would need more and also stop jobs for the boys, meaning there would be more chance of me getting in

Do you think they need more recruits?

MajorMax

Can anyone tell me if it is true or an urban legend that in order to fill "quotas" for Catholics in PSNI, The Police service recruited a load of Polish people? I've heard this from quite a few people including an Aunt in Portadown

Delancey

MajorMax wrote: »

Can anyone tell me if it is true or an urban legend that in order to fill "quotas" for Catholics in PSNI, The Police service recruited a load of Polish people? I've heard this from quite a few people including an Aunt in Portadown

While there are some Polish officers there are not all that many and indeed for the first several years of recruitment while there were many applications from Polish born people none were sucessful mainly due to the entrance test which does require fluency in English.
I am aware of some Polish officers now alright but to say '' loads '' were recruited is a major exaggeration.

Delancey

wanadrum wrote: »

Interesting post Delancy, is it not fair to say though that the federation are looking for more people even with the jobs for the boys being there? Ideally for me they would need more and also stop jobs for the boys, meaning there would be more chance of me getting in

Do you think they need more recruits?

I don't think there is a Police representative body in the western world that doesn't regularly clamour for more recruits - if PSNI numbers were at pre-Patten levels they would probably still say there were not enough.
Having said that it must be remembered that many of the ' jobs for the boys ' would normally be done by Police officers so to that extent recruitment is hindered by re-hiring.

There will always be a need for more officers but just what can be done in the present financial climate is the issue - Police pensions present a huge liability years down the road and this is likely to influence recruitment planning for years to come.

MajorMax

Delancey wrote: »

While there are some Polish officers there are not all that many and indeed for the first several years of recruitment while there were many applications from Polish born people none were sucessful mainly due to the entrance test which does require fluency in English.
I am aware of some Polish officers now alright but to say '' loads '' were recruited is a major exaggeration.

Yeah, I thought it was an urban legend, mind you my Granny used to tell us when we were kids in the 70's that the SAS were dressing up as cows to cross the border and murder us all in our beds.............hmmmm I'm starting to think that my family is more than a bit paranoid & not a little weird

wanadrum

You heard about the SAS dressing up as cows too?......

Only joking - but its the funniest thing I've heard all day.

I would think the would have just crossed the border on foot or in a van if they had too, but surely they wouldn't have been crossing the border anyway would they.......

Anyway, back on topic...

1967J

Interesting!!!!!!!!!

kitchensink

Interesting and no doubt the PSNI really does need more bodies. I can't see stormont agreeing to any recruitment.

wannabe2010

Lol I was logging on here just to post this, great minds eh Gee-22! :P I emailed recruitment last week and they said 2014 at the earliest.. but, with everything in PSNI, anything can change at any time!

Gee-22

wanadrum wrote: »

Do you think they need more recruits?

Simple answer is yes.

I know lots of officers and they have all said they are short of numbers in a big way.

I think everyone in power knows that, but it all comes down to mathematics.

wannabe2010

Yep, it's the same in everything at the mo, NHS, schools, etc.. they need more people but just can't afford it... and with this lovely big training place being built, that makes it even more doubtful that they can afford to put more police on the streets.. might as well put up a big neon sign to terrorists lol

Delancey

Yeah , cuts all round on the menu but given Norn Iron's traditional dependence on the Public Sector these cuts will have a greater proportionate impact than elsewhere.
If a mechanism could be implemented that went some way to drive down the cost of pensions I would be a little more optimistic about future recruitment. Pensions are a huge issue for the Police with every year seeing an increase in costs and this has finally been seen for the problem it is. This is despite Police pension contributions being already at a very high level - to my knowledge 11% of salary is deducted from every pay slip.

Have to say Desertcreat looks increasingly difficult to justify in the current circumstances.

notbrazil

Now, now Delancey! The PFNI is probably the strongest Police Fed in the British Isles. While the local-level feds in England and Wales are bending over and taking the spending cuts, even supporting privatisation in some cases, the PFNI are continuing to fight our corner.

'Jobs for the boys' is a load of utter nonsense. For example, I would much rather have ex-RUC Special Branch officers as intelligence analysts than a wet-behind-the-ears graduate with a 2:2 in Police Studies. Those brought back under this method of recruitment are there for a reason, and that is the complete lack of experience within the PSNI caused by the demolition of the RUC.

As for the accusations by the PFNI that those criticising the so-called 'jobs for the boys' having an anti-RUC agenda, I would whole heartedly agree with that.

'Pain in the arse', I think not!