TUV Meets Chief Constable and condemns DUP dumping its pledge on the Reserve
11 November 2009
At today’s 90 minute meeting the TUV delegation – which comprised of party leader Jim Allister, party president William Ross, vice-chairman Keith Harbinson, Mid-Ulster chairman Walter Miller and press officer Samuel Morrison – raised a number of matters of great concern to the people of Northern Ireland. The meeting was forthright but business like.
The Chief Constable was left in no doubt about the party’s opposition to the decision to abolish the Full Time Reserve at a time of a heightened Republican threat. TUV is disappointed that the DUP have backtracked on their commitment not to agree to the devolution of policing and justice unless this decision is reversed.
The delegation raised the issue of a large number of death threats which have been issued against TUV members and ex-security force personnel.
The party raised the issue of PPWs and stressed that the life-threatening policy in withdrawing the weapons must be reversed so that ex-security personnel can retain a means of self-defense in face of the republican threat.
Commenting Jim Allister said:
“As confirmed at this meeting the PSNI is 450 constables below its establishment level, yet at a time of rising terrorist threat the Chief Constable is making 300 exceptionally experienced Reserve Constables redundant. This is completely unacceptable. Sadly, the Chief Constable is so wedded to the dogma of Patten, which politically targetted the Reserve, that he is intent on pushing ahead in spite of the overwhelming operational reasons against such a shameful decision. No doubt he has been aided by other Unionists blinking on this issue.
“TUV is deeply disappointed but not surprised that the DUP have abandoned the Full Time Reserve and backtracked on their commitment made no later than Monday that devolution of policing and justice would not happen if the FTR went.
“They have moved from a position where Jeffrey Donaldson said that if the Full Time Reserve was disbanded his party didn’t believe devolution of Policing and J would happen “because not only will the DUP not agree to it but the public confidence will not be there to make it happen. That is absolutely clear” to a position where the DUP will accept the scraping of the Reserve if a small number of FTR officers are turned into office boys. This is a gross insult.
"Not only has the DUP dumped its own pre-condition but it is now dumping the Reserve and thereby adding to the shameful way in which this gallant body of officers is being treated. Shame on the DUP for playing fast and loose with the Full time Reserve and then in the end abandoning them for the sake of rescuing their sordid deal with IRA/Sinn Fein.
“During our meeting with the Chief Constable and other senior officers the TUV delegation also took the opportunity to press the case for a reversal of the policy on PPWs. We were pleased that the PSNI seem to be reassessing their policy in relation to this issue. We will monitor the situation closely and judge them on results.”
