PSNI focuses on city safety

In a statement his week Inspector Jon Burrows said the initiative follows a highly successful crackdown on crime over the festive season.

“Over December we saw a significant reduction in violent crime in the city which traditionally is a time when we expect to see more assaults and other offences of this nature,” he said.

“Much of this success can be attributed to ‘Operation Season’s Greetings’ which ran across all eight districts in Northern Ireland over the Christmas period. Part of the strategy included highly visible police patrols in key areas and at key times to deter and detect criminals.

“To build on this success extra officers will continue to be deployed on night-time economy duties in the city centre to provide a reassuring presence for both residents and visitors. It is in everyone’s interest from licensees to restaurant owners, residents and others to ensure every person who visits the city centre comes away with a positive experience,” he said.

Inspector Burrow continued: “One of the main challenges we face is alcohol related crime mainly amongst young people. Part of our drive to tackle this issue is to make full use of our Youth Diversion Officers in the city centre on the weekends. By engaging with young people and maintaining a highly visible presence we hope to prevent disorder and encourage people to behave in a more responsible manner.

“Policing the city centre doesn’t happen in isolation. We rely on the cooperation of licensees and their commitment to preventing any outbreaks of trouble in their establishments. The presence of underage persons in bars and clubs can be a problem however we are working with the Vintner’s Association and others to combat this. Last month eight false IDs were handed into police. They were recovered by door staff from underage persons trying to gain entry to license premises.

“It is important that we have parents onboard. Your responsibility doesn’t end when your child walks out the front door for the evening. Make it your business to find out where they are going and who they are with. Talk to your child about alcohol and the associated dangers and health problems.”

“The results we have seen so far are encouraging however we are under no illusion that while the statistics show a good result for the Christmas period, crime figures can rise as well as fall. In order to keep our city safer for everyone we need to work together,” he said.