NI Conservatives’ co-chair, Trevor Ringland, has extended his best wishes to the new Chief Constable of the PSNI, George Hamilton, who took up his new post today.
“We wish George Hamilton all the best in his new position”, Trevor commented. “The Chief Constable’s post is a challenging role, but we’re confident that the PSNI has the best man for the job. It’s important that all political leaders get behind Mr Hamilton, give their unequivocal backing to the rule of law at all times and start to sort out some of the political problems which make policing more difficult in Northern Ireland.”
“There are already examples of problems with parades and flags being resolved at a local level. With genuine political will, the same thing can happen province-wide, making the Chief Constable’s life and those of his officers a lot easier. Agreeing a way forward on historical Troubles-related incidents will require hard discussions and a mature debate about what is realistically achievable. However it is clear that policing the past cannot be allowed to prevent the PSNI from being as effective as possible in its policing of the present.”
“With the right political backing and leadership from right across the community, I’m sure George Hamilton’s tenure can be long and successful.”