Police Service of Northern Ireland

HL Deb 21 April 2004 vol 660 cc36-7WA

Lord Eames

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What plans they have for the numerical strength of the Police Service of Northern Ireland given the current level of crimes against the elderly in Northern Ireland. [HL2071]

Baroness Amos

The size of the Police Service of Northern Ireland was established by the report of the Independent Commission for Policing in Northern Ireland. The Chief Constable has in turn developed a human resource strategy, which is being pursued in partnership with the Northern Ireland Policing Board. The operational deployment of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable, but the numerical strength of the service will not change due to the incidence of a particular crime or crimes. However crimes against the elderly are taken seriously by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and a number of initiatives have been introduced in an attempt to impact on such crimes.