PFNI welcomes additional Brexit funding but says it needs to be kept under review
PFNI welcomes additional Brexit funding but says it needs to be kept under review
The Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) is welcoming the Government announcement that the PSNI is to get £16.48 million to help it prepare for Brexit but insists funding needs to be kept under constant review.
PFNI Chair Mark Lindsay said: “This allocation is welcome and allays some of our concerns. Preparing for Brexit is a task of monumental proportions with many unknowns. If the UK crashes out at the end of March, there will obviously be significant additional pressures placed on our officers.
“The implications are immense. This money will deliver hundreds more officers and staff but the allocation shouldn’t be taken to mean that that is the end of the matter. It may very well be the case that in response to issues thrown up by a hard exit of the EU that further additional financial resources will be required.
“There is a need to be responsive and flexible. If there is a clear and undeniable case for more officers, then Ministers will have to come back with what is required.
“We feel that the additional money is a welcome boost, but we are duty bound to point out that we are entering uncharted waters where there may well be further requests for financial assistance.
“Contingency planning has to be stepped up in line with what the Government has already announced. Serious consideration must be given to the specific requirements of Northern Ireland where our officers will be expected to undertake frontier duties in support of other Government agencies in the event that there is no deal by the 29th March. It’s time to get real about Northern Ireland’s security requirements and the resources that will be required.”