Ulster Unionist Party welcomes Matt Baggott to the PSNI

Ulster Unionist members of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Leslie Cree and Basil McCrea, together with their Party colleagues wish to welcome the arrival of the new Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Matt Baggott.

Speaking jointly Mr. Cree and Mr. McCrea stated, "We warmly welcome Matt Baggott to the Police Service of Northern Ireland and we look forward to working with him at the Policing Board.

"Matt Baggott received the unanimous support of the Policing Board and has a proven track record in community policing.

"However, the Chief Constable must hit the ground running. He has many challenges ahead, not least of which is the surge in the dissident republican activity across Northern Ireland.

"Strong leadership will be required to address the crisis in policing which has been created by an under-funded and overly bureaucratic system and which is failing professional and courageous officers. For the sake of public confidence these issues must be addressed as a matter of urgency."

ENDS…