| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
9 Oct 2006 : Column 342W—continued
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what policing resources are available in the Ards District Command Unit (DCU) at weekends in (a) Donaghadee, (b) Comber, (c) Newtownards and (d) the rural areas of the DCU; and what impact the proposed changes to the structure of policing in the DCU will have on the level of cover at weekends. [89280]
Paul Goggins: Extra resources are deployed at week-ends in Ards District Command Unit and this will continue. The response crews parading for duty at Newtownards and Portaferry will continue to patrol the whole of the District Command Unit. There will be no change to the level of cover at weekends.
Ards DCU has a total established policing contingent of 220 officers.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken in the Ards District Command Unit (DCU) of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to tackle (a) the sale of stolen and counterfeit goods, (b) robberies and burglaries, (c) violent crime against the person, (d) drug use and dealing, (e) paramilitary activity, (f) car crime, (g) speeding and (h) race hate crime; and what impact the proposed changes to the structure of policing in the DCU will have on this work. [89282]
Paul Goggins: The nature and volume of reported crime in Ards District Command Unit is kept under constant examination through the National Intelligence Model. When specific hotspots or trends arise they are addressed primarily by proactive units (including Community Policing Teams). The increase in Community Policing Teams will provide a greater capacity to address many of these areas, specifically relating to antisocial behaviour.
Mrs. Iris Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes are proposed to the (a) structure and (b) manpower of the Ards District
Command Unit of the Police Service of Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [89283]
Paul Goggins: It is intended that response crews will be based in Portaferry and Ards Town. They will parade for duty at these locations, be briefed and thereafter provide an emergency response and patrol capability across the whole District Command Unit area.
Community Policing Teams in Comber and Donaghadee will be increased in number while those in Newtownards and Portaferry will remain at their current strengths.
The number of officers attached to Ards District Command Unit is dictated centrally and reflects the overall numbers of Regular and Reserve Officers within PSNI.
Mrs. Iris Robinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers stationed in the Ards District Command Unit (DCU) on average were on out of station duties during a shift in the last period for which
figures are available; what impact the proposed changes to the structure of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the Ards DCU will have on this cover; and if he will make a statement. [89302]
Paul Goggins: The deployment of police officers in individual District Command Units is a matter for the Commander in charge of that area.
The proposed structural changes within Ards will ensure that the District continues to provide immediate response to emergencies whilst directing extra officers towards problem solving and proactive activities which address those areas of concern specifically highlighted by the public.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers work within the Ards District Command Unit, broken down by principal duty conducted by each officer; and how many are expected to work in the Unit by the end of 2006. [89311]
Paul Goggins: The number of police officers and their area of work as of July 06 is as follows:
| Function | Supt. | Chief Insp. | Insp. | Sgt. | Con. | R/Con FT | R/Con PT | Total |
It is expected that that these numbers will remain relatively constant until the end of 2006.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what impact the changes to the structure of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the Ards District Command Unit (DCU) will have on the delivery of policing in (a) Donaghadee, (b) Comber, (c) Newtownards and (d) the rural areas of the DCU; and if he will make a statement. [89312]
Paul Goggins: It is intended to increase the number of officers attached to Community Policing Teams in Comber and Donaghadee thus providing a better service to the public in those areas. The service to the remainder of the Command Unit will remain unaffected.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many call-outs were made to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the Ards District Command Unit in each of the last four years; and where the call-outs were made from. [89317]
Paul Goggins: The only statistics readily available are for incidents dealt with in each station area. These are as follows:
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |