Police Reserve remains 'under review', says Orde

The future of the PSNI's Full-Time Reserve remains subject to a security review, according to Chief Constable Hugh Orde.

The proposed axing of the Full-Time reserve, some 1,600 officers, by 2006 is part of the Patton Recommendations on police reform in Northern Ireland.

Mr Orde said: "All officers from the Full-Time Reserve were guaranteed a job until April 2005. And that is subject to a security review in the summer of this year, which I will undertake and then go back to the [Policing] Board."

The Chief Constable confirmed that if needed there was a "get out clause" that could if be invoked, but he added that he would have to satisfy the Board that those officers were employed in jobs that needed police officers and not civilians.

Attempting to clarify the Board’s position on the Full-Time Reserve, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Professor Desmond Rea, said: “The Board is committed to ensuring a policing service which meets the needs of the community. That is our primary concern and our primary goal.

"We want to make sure that crimes against all those in our community are dealt with effectively and that the fear of crime is removed."

But the plan to phase out the 1,600-strong Full-Time reserve has been slammed by the police union.

A spokesperson for the Police Federation described the plan as "madness" and claimed that the force would be left "severely under-strength" if the proposals went ahead.

However, Professor Rea said that the Policing Board had "endorsed a Human Resources Strategy which was designed to meet the future staffing requirements of the police over the next 8-10 years".

He confirmed that the agreed strategy included a plan to phase out of the Full-Time Reserve by late 2006, but it was subject to the ongoing success of the PSNI recruitment campaign and that there was no further deterioration of the security situation beyond that which existed in October 2002.

Professor Rea said: "The Chief Constable and the Board are satisfied that there are sufficient resources available to PSNI to meet the policing need and that full implementation of the Human Resources Strategy will ensure that officers are in the right place at the right time delivering a policing service which meets the needs of the community."

(SP)