'We can't afford to sleepwalk into situation where officers are re-deployed at last minute' Police Federation raises concerns over no-deal Brexit
Chair plea to sort out issue as quickly as possible
Last updated 29th Nov 2018
The Police Federation for Northern Ireland wants financial assurances from the Government so that resources will be there to patrol the border in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
The body representing rank-and-file officers in Northern Ireland said a failure to pay for extra recruits would force the redeployment of hundreds of policemen and women away from cities and towns to cover border crossings.
Chief Constable George Hamilton has asked the Home Office to fund 400 extra officers to enable him to deal with the repercussions of Brexit.
The federation, which believes even more officers will be needed, said a Government decision was “overdue''.
PFNI Chair, Mark Lindsay, said officers want to see border security issues sorted out and with only four months to go before the UK leaves the EU, there needed to be the injection of urgency into the process.
Mr Lindsay said: “The political turmoil around Brexit is for politicians to resolve, but what we are saying is accelerate contingency planning to prepare for what happens from April 1.
“We cannot afford to sleepwalk into a situation where, at the last minute, officers are re-deployed from cities and towns such as Belfast, Ballymena or Coleraine to some of the major crossing points along the 310-mile border with the Republic of Ireland.
“We need hundreds more officers if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal. The case has already been made by the PSNI for more resources, and decisions are now overdue.
“We simply cannot produce three-four hundred officers overnight and if Government approval for an increase in the size of the PSNI isn’t forthcoming quite soon, then we will be left to confront major gaps in service provision as we race to meet requirements in a ‘hard’ Brexit scenario.
“I am appealing to all concerned to make this a major priority and to get it sorted out without further procrastination. It is much too serious an issue to leave on the long finger."