The Chief Constable of the PSNI has welcomed the draft deal to restore the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Simon Byrne said much of the 'New Decade, New Approach' paper is perceived as "good for policing", as the UK and Irish governments express support for the recruitment of more police officers.

Political parties are deliberating on whether to agree on the deal today, Friday 10 January, with hopes of a return to the Assembly later this afternoon.

Stormont's institutions collapsed three years ago when the two largest parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein, split in a bitter row.

Released on Thursday evening after intensive talks, the draft proposal states on policing:

'A renewed focus will be put on strengthening approaches and supporting mechanisms for policing in the community. This will be complemented with an increase in resources, both human and financial, for the neighbouring policing teams.'

Chief Constable Byrne said: "Clearly the support for boosting the strength of the PSNI to 7,500 police officers will be at the heart of our aspiration to invest significantly in community policing across Northern Ireland in the months ahead.

"We welcome plans to reform and streamline our outdated criminal justice processes and also address the issue of legacy investigations which drain our focus on policing the issues of here and now."

Mr Byrne concluded: "A fresh emphasis on tackling the scourge of paramilitary crime and intimidation, supported by legislation to tackle unexplained wealth, sits four square with our operational priorities."

Meanwhile, Ulster University has welcomed the commitments within the deal to develop and expand the university's Magee campus, as well as pushing forward with the planned graduate medical school for L'Derry.

A spokesperson for the university said: "These commitments will bring enhancements for student opportunity, health & patient care."



(JG/CM)