Opinion

PSNI sends out negative message over sex crimes

While the PSNI has to deal with a constant and grave threat from dissident republicans, and must also work within strict budgetary limits, there will still be considerable concern over the latest statistics revealing that officers do not attend one crime scene in every five.

As we reported yesterday, their response rate has been dropping steadily during recent years and, from an overall figure of 93 per cent in 2011, declined to just 80 per cent over the last 12 months.

Police chiefs are fully entitled to point out that policy and structural changes now enable many issues to be addressed by telephone, often referring callers on to other agencies and allowing resources to be concentrated where they are felt to be most urgently required.

However, it can only be disturbing that one in every three reports of a sexual offence is not followed by an officer actually visiting the location, with the total falling by an alarming 23 per cent over the last year.

This represents a striking change within a short spell of time, and sends out a message that sex crimes are frequently not regarded with the seriousness they deserve by the authorities.

It will further be noted that the attendance of officers at a range of other offences, including violence against the person (87 per cent), robbery (88 per cent) and domestic burglary (91 cent) is running at a lower level than would normally be expected.

In fairness to the PSNI, and the financial and logistical pressures it faces, it also emerged yesterday that the cost of policing parades across Northern Ireland in 2015 was an entirely ludicrous £6.7m.

Although violence associated with the loyalist marching season was relatively restricted this year, the fact that 25 officers were injured in a three-day July period in Belfast alone was completely unacceptable.

This casualty list, and the enormous wider bill which surrounds it, could be easily avoided if the Orange Order and its supporters would take a much more responsible attitude towards the annual demonstrations.

In particular, the pointless nightly protests at Twaddell Avenue in north Belfast have drained almost £20m from the public purse since they began back in the summer of 2013.

These are colossal sums which could be much better spent on protecting all sections of the community from crime and bringing the perpetrators before the courts.

If Orange leaders have any interest in the maintenance of law and order across our society, they will need to face up to their full responsibilities in the coming months.