OVERTIME PAYMENTS to police officers charged with trying to quell or contain rioting in Ardoyne, north Belfast, over the July 12th period cost £1.1 million, PSNI chief constable Matt Baggott revealed at yesterday’s meeting of the Policing Board in Belfast.
Mr Baggott told members that because of this cost he was forced to abandon plans to set up a neighbourhood policing team for Ardoyne for the next three years.
More than 40 people have been arrested so far in connection with the rioting which left more than 80 police officers injured, one of them, a woman officer, seriously injured after a large lump of masonry was dropped on her head. A Spanish national has been charged with attempted murder in connection with this offence.
Mr Baggott said money he had earmarked for community policing in Ardoyne was diverted to overtime costs due to the rioting.
Dissident republicans were accused of fomenting the violence and also of “bussing” people into the area to cause trouble.
“The overwhelming feeling I have about these events is one of great sadness. I would have liked to have spent money on creating neighbourhood policing that wins hearts and minds and improves people’s lives. The reality is I don’t have £1.1 million now.”
The chief constable said society in the North must have a debate around these costs and these issues that were undermining the prospects of creating a shared future for everyone in the North.
Policing board member Prof Sir Desmond Rea said there must be some way of learning from the annual experiences of trouble over parading and protesting. He called for politicians and the North’s Department of Justice to bring together “all the relevant parties” to try and address the problem.
Mr Baggott, referring to the dissident republican threat, also told the board that there had been a three-fold increase in the number of people facing terrorist charges compared to the same period last year. Last year 17 faced charges compared to 54 this year.
Board members endorsed the decision by chairman Barry Gilligan to temporarily stand down pending the outcome of a police inquiry into his role in a Belfast land deal. Last month Mr Gilligan, a property developer, went to the PSNI to answer questions about a north Belfast land deal.
The board was also told by deputy chief constable Judith Gillespie that investigating past killings during the Troubles was costing the PSNI £12 million annually. “Twelve million pounds spent on policing the past is not £12 million spent on policing the here and now,” she said.
