Micheál Martin to be first taoiseach to attend PSNI graduation today

The Taoiseach is to attend a graduation for Police Service of Northern Ireland ( PSNI ) student officers in Belfast later today. It is the first time a taoiseach has been present at a PSNI attestation ceremony. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and Northern Secretary Chris Bryant will be present at the PSNI College in Garnerville alongside Micheál Martin. The Taoiseach will also mark the anniversary of the establishment of the PSNI, 25 years ago this week.

Speaking in advance of the ceremony, Martin said he looked forward “to extending my congratulations to all the new constables being conferred at today’s attestation ceremony. “This is a proud day for them and their families, and I wish the new officers every success in their policing careers.” He added: “I am also pleased to be in Belfast for today’s ceremony as we mark 25 years since the establishment of the PSNI and the significant achievements made since the Patten Commission.

“The creation of the PSNI was a key part of delivering the Good Friday Agreement and the peace that it made possible. “The Government of Ireland is committed to building on the achievements of that peace, deepening the co-operation across our jurisdictions, and harnessing the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement.” Speaking in Belfast earlier this week at a conference marking the PSNI’s anniversary, the chief constable quoted Chris Patten – whose review of policing in the 1990s led to the creation of the PSNI – as saying policing was the “success story” of the peace process. [ Hugh Orde: Risk-taking is a skill that is sadly disappearing in modern policing Opens in new window ] He said “progress” had been made in the recruitment of women and people from a nationalist and Catholic background to the police service and “in the current recruitment process, the figures are looking encouraging for moving those numbers upwards, but its incumbent for all of us to help with that”.

The chief constable called for further political support for the PSNI, saying that in the past 25 years it had “not been supported in the way I expect policing to be supported, in the way policing is supported elsewhere on the island of Ireland, with An Garda Síochána getting their biggest number of officers they have ever had, the way policing is supported in Great Britain with regards to increases in numbers.” Since 2010, Boutcher said, “we have not seen any budgetary increase” and “policing needs investment”.

“The men and women of this organisation cannot continue to keep society safe unless they are supported and we get the backing we need,” he said.. “We’re doing our bit. My plea is that the institutions and political leadership does their bit to support the PSNI, and that’s overdue.” Additional reporting – PA.