Survey seeks views on policing

Eleven key questions will be asked about policing

One in 10 homes are being asked what they think about policing, in the largest public consultation of its kind in Northern Ireland.

About 60,000 households will receive questionnaires from the Policing Board on Monday, and the results will form future plans for policing.

Eleven core questions are being asked, together with specific questions about individual district policing partnerships, which give the community an input into policing.

Professor Desmond Rea, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board said the consultation process was important.

"It has real meaning and will lead to genuine community benefit," he said.

"The policing priorities identified by the people in each of the 26 districts will form the basis for discussion between the DPPs and their local PSNI district commanders in the production of the 2004/2005 local policing plans."

A key function of each of the DPPs was that every two years they should undertake a community survey throughout their council area to identify the views of the public concerning the policing of the district, he said.

It is important that everyone who receives a questionnaire not only fills it in, but returns it too

Professor Des Rea
Policing Board Chairman

The survey is the first province-wide public attitude study undertaken by the Policing Board that allows responses to be broken down into the 26 district council areas - in effect mini-surveys.

Professor Rea added: "DPPs are about local people shaping local policing and like the public meetings, this consultation exercise is a vital part of the new beginning to policing.

"Through partnership working, DPPs will begin to help make communities safer by making a positive and significant difference to policing with the community so it is important that everyone who receives a questionnaire not only fills it in, but returns it too".

The closing date for the return of the questionnaires is the end of June.

Once analysed the results of the survey will be provided to DPPs and district commanders in October in time for the preparation of the local policing plans.

The 60,000 households were randomly selected from the Valuation and Lands Agency records.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland came into being in November 2001 as part of sweeping reforms to the service under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

The 19 member Policing Board, which includes politicians from the UUP, SDLP and DUP, along with independent members, was set up to hold the service to account.

A new uniform, and symbol were also introduced as part of the reforms.

Sinn Fein is the only party which refuses to endorse the new service.

The party has also refused to nominate members for the Policing Board because it believes present structures and reforms fall short of the Patten report.