MAGINNIS WARNS OF POLICE CUTS
Maginnis warns of police cuts
By William Graham
POLICE numbers should not be reduced for five years because of the continuing threat of paramilitary violence UUP security spokesperson Ken Maginnis said yesterday.
Mr Maginnis told the Patten Commission he did not believe Omagh would be the last terrorist atrocity.
He said that with troops being removed from Northern Ireland "we need every single policeman and will continue to need them for some considerable time".
Mr Maginnis also said: "Even if we got rid of the guns and the threat of violence there is a need for society to re-educate itself in terms of law and order.
"And there will be a period when we may need something like the zero tolerance option to shock the ordinary guy in the street into recognising that society can't function in terms of some sort of compromise on law and order. There has got to be respect.
"We want to see a normal society, and one where drugs don't replace terrorism."
Mr Maginnis emphasised the importance of having what he called "a unitary police service" and said he didn't want to see the RUC restructured into 24 or 18 little fiefdoms along local government lines.
"I don't want to find we have an approach to policing on the Shankill which is different from the approach to policing on the Falls," Mr Maginnis said.
The Fermanagh/South Tyrone MP said that in the future, and in an ideal society, he would like to see a great deal of resources invested into improving the communication skills of police officers.
He added: "This is an area which should receive more and more attention as we evolve towards a normal society."
Mr Maginnis indicated that there should not be a reduction in police numbers in the next five years.
However, he admitted that perhaps long-term preparations for down-sizing should start now. Cutting police jobs could be compared with closing down the Belfast shipyard three times, he said.
The commission has received more than 2,000 submissions, it was revealed last night.
At a public meeting in Belfast commission chairman Chris Patten met representatives of the loyalist community on the Shankill Road.
Speaking to BBC Radio he said between now and Christmas members of the panel planned to listen to people in each of the 26 council areas.
"This next phase of our work we will be much more public than we've been able to be so far. If we want to make sure that every neighbourhood gets the policing that it wants and deserves then we've got to get out into the neighbourhood and into the community."
By William Graham
POLICE numbers should not be reduced for five years because of the continuing threat of paramilitary violence UUP security spokesperson Ken Maginnis said yesterday.
Mr Maginnis told the Patten Commission he did not believe Omagh would be the last terrorist atrocity.
He said that with troops being removed from Northern Ireland "we need every single policeman and will continue to need them for some considerable time".
Mr Maginnis also said: "Even if we got rid of the guns and the threat of violence there is a need for society to re-educate itself in terms of law and order.
"And there will be a period when we may need something like the zero tolerance option to shock the ordinary guy in the street into recognising that society can't function in terms of some sort of compromise on law and order. There has got to be respect.
"We want to see a normal society, and one where drugs don't replace terrorism."
Mr Maginnis emphasised the importance of having what he called "a unitary police service" and said he didn't want to see the RUC restructured into 24 or 18 little fiefdoms along local government lines.
"I don't want to find we have an approach to policing on the Shankill which is different from the approach to policing on the Falls," Mr Maginnis said.
The Fermanagh/South Tyrone MP said that in the future, and in an ideal society, he would like to see a great deal of resources invested into improving the communication skills of police officers.
He added: "This is an area which should receive more and more attention as we evolve towards a normal society."
Mr Maginnis indicated that there should not be a reduction in police numbers in the next five years.
However, he admitted that perhaps long-term preparations for down-sizing should start now. Cutting police jobs could be compared with closing down the Belfast shipyard three times, he said.
The commission has received more than 2,000 submissions, it was revealed last night.
At a public meeting in Belfast commission chairman Chris Patten met representatives of the loyalist community on the Shankill Road.
Speaking to BBC Radio he said between now and Christmas members of the panel planned to listen to people in each of the 26 council areas.
"This next phase of our work we will be much more public than we've been able to be so far. If we want to make sure that every neighbourhood gets the policing that it wants and deserves then we've got to get out into the neighbourhood and into the community."
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0443
Published Date: 15-Oct-98
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