Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly has said community policing must be treated as a key pillar in delivering an effective policing service.

Reacting to a review from the Criminal Justice Inspection, the party’s policing spokesperson said:

“Neighbourhood policing is a key pillar of modern policing and is vital in keeping communities safe.

“Sinn Féin agrees with the review that the PSNI should look again at its abstraction policy, which moves officers from one role to another.

“This policy has meant the movement of vital resources from neighbourhood policing to other policing duties, to the detriment of community policing.

“While we agree more resources are needed to increase recruitment, community policing is key to all other policing departments and is the last area which should be losing resources.”