Financial outlook a ‘significant concern’, warns chief constable

Simon Byrne said the financial outlook is of “significant concern”.

This includes a projected funding shortfall of £59 million for the year ahead for resource costs and a capital settlement “totalling just 51 per cent of our bid”, said Mr Byrne.

Significant reductions to headcount, overtime, spend on legacy investigations and a range of other costs will be “unavoidable” to close the funding gap, he said.

“In contrast to the position in England and Wales, where the funding settlement for policing over the next three years has been confirmed and provides both the certainty and capacity to commit to longer term reform and investment, our own financial outlook is of significant concern,” said Mr Byrne.

“The Draft Budget allocation for policing creates an operating shortfall of some £226 million over the next three years, just to stand still.

“This will have real consequences for service delivery, resilience and modernisation with Hobson’s choices as to how to prioritise demand and manage risk in the coming years.”

Mr Byrne’s concerns were highlighted in his End of year report 2021/22 and latest Chief Constable’s Accountability Report, both presented to the Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) this week.

“Reductions will have an increasing impact on services as the year progresses,” said Mr Byrne. “Longer term impacts on recruitment and representation, the policing response to non-urgent incidents and the investigation of crime will be unavoidable.

“Without resolution, the police service will be very different by 2025. By necessity, policing may be less visible, less accessible and less responsive, affecting confidence in, and support for, the PSNI and overall levels of community safety.”

Mr Byrne said he anticipates, over the same period, that there will be a growth in crime impacting the most vulnerable after recent analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation warned about the impact of “one of the most acute squeezes on living standards in recent memory”.

“An impact for policing is foreseeable in terms of future demand for services,” said Mr Byrne.

“The difficult budgetary situation facing policing means that we need to prioritise resources and work in smarter and more intelligent ways and I would ask that the NIPB and communities, support us in doing so.”

Since the start of the year, some additional funding has been agreed, including £3.1 million to support policing the NI Protocol, £5.7 million to tackle paramilitary crime, £0.6 million to support the new Victims Payment Scheme and further sums for legacy inquests and Gillen reforms.

“Although progress has been made in narrowing the funding gap, we continue to make the case for an improved settlement this year to protect the delivery of policing services,” said Mr Byrne.

“Looking to the future, there continues to be a lack of clarity on funding for the police service and this remains a significant concern, not least due to the direct impact on overall headcount and likely diminution and delay to services in communities.”