Street violence, rising crime and the need for all the community to support the PSNI are the biggest threats to police reforms. These are the findings of the Oversight Commissioner, whose fifth report on the implementation of the Patten report was released yesterday.
Mr Tom Constantine, former chief police officer for New York state and a head of the Drug Enforcement Agency, used more forceful language in his latest findings. He told The Irish Times that issues relating to police resources posed the greatest threat to the new policing arrangements in Northern Ireland.
Street violence and the resulting pressures on police numbers were causing severe strain on the new police service, formed last November. When added to a chronic sickness rate, these were significant problems. However, if absenteeism could be reduced from over 20 days per officer and greater civilianisation introduced, staffing pressures could be eased.
Recommendations by Patten "which should have and have not been implemented . . . would have given (the service) 800 to 1,000 more police officers".
Mr Constantine also referred to an "undesirable uncertainty" over the future of part-time officers. When this was considered alongside civilianisation and absenteeism, he said, the staffing problems could be eased. "If you had done that, you would have had adequate resources today."
He emphasised the need for total community support, likening the new police structures to a three-legged stool. The police service was one element, the government was the second and public support was the third. If any one was missing, then the structure collapsed.
He said that he re-reads the Patten report every couple of weeks, commenting: "For this to be successful, you need the support of the entire community, and several times (Patten) specifically says the nationalist community."
Mr Constantine refused to be drawn on the question of Sinn Féin involvement in policing, but he added: "I think it's important for people to recognise that everybody has a role to play, and it's going to require the participation of everyone."
The report said it was clear that the police had made significant improvements and singled out the "major accomplishment" of the new uniform and crest last April.
Mr Constantine, whose report evaluated police improvements up to May of this year, also criticised delays in the amalgamation of Special Branch, the intelligence wing of the police, with Crime Branch, and the failure to meet demands for a police training college. He expressed surprise on this, claiming that all sides wanted to see progress - "but a shovel has yet to be turned". The report was welcomed by the Ms Jane Kennedy, the security minister at Stormont.
The PSNI also welcomed the findings and accepted the broad thrust of the report. Mr Roy Toner, an assistant chief constable, said that many of the issues raised were being addressed and progress had been made since May, when the inspection period for the report had ended.
Mr Toner said that a shortage of Catholic applicants for administrative assistant positions was hampering the civilianisation programme. Out of 266 applicants, only 29 were Catholics. "We could only employ 58 people due to the Patten 50/50 employment requirement. That is the reality of the situation we are dealing with."