PSNI absolutely focused on tackling rural crime

Chief Inspector Tony Callaghan this week gave an undertaking that far from providing a second rate service for those in isolated areas, the PSNI were “absolutely focused” on crime particular to rural areas in the district, and had a policing team dedicated to this aspect of the job.

He said he could empathise with people living in the rural area and their perception that they were not getting the best service from the PSNI when compared to the urban area.

“The city, the urban area no doubt attracts a lot of attention and our time and that is simply just to do with volume and numbers and the poplulation size that exists in the urban area and the Waterside and Cityside. That is just a fact of life. We don’t forget about the rural areas are of concern to us. We do look at things like rural crime and we are absolutely focused on that. We have a neighbourhood team dedicated to the rural area; The Waterside Neighbourhoods team looks after the whole rural area in a sweep round from Eglinton to Claudy and beyond.”

He said that anyone with concerns about rural policing issues or about a particular issue that they wanted to contact him about, they were free to do so.

Asked what his vision was for his role as Chief Inspector and as the Area Commander, he said he hoped he would be given time and space to do his job.

“It is a challenging post. Derry is a very busy place and not only in terms of events and everything else but also in terms of some of the stuff that we have to deal with.

“A bit of my background might be helpful. I have come out of two fantastic years looking after our planning team looking after the UK City of Culture and that was a huge success for this city.

“My vision? I’d like to build on some of the relationships that I have worked on in the last two years. To take this city further forward and to give it more of a sense of itself and for the PSNI to play our part in terms of the policing of this city and to make it the special place that we all know it is.

In terms of ‘political policing’ and any possible outcome from the Scottish Referendum, CI Callaghan said: “In the past in this city policing parading an protesting has gone extremely well. This city is very conscious of its image. This city has laid the line in terms of parades, protests and forward thinking. It is not about anybody having to have their rights or their identity eroded, it’s about having question and answer sessions, it’s about building relationships; it’s about listening to people on the other side who might have a different viewpoint and coming to a reasoned accommodation. This city has been really successful at that and I am sure that will continue.

“If there are any protests that arise out of the Scottish question in terms of the Union then we will deal with that as it arises, but I have every confidence in the sense of the good people of this city that it will be done in a measured and lawful way.”