Mr. Drew Harris:

The report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland is a very valuable document. When I say it sets out a roadmap, we are accepting all of the recommendations made within it.

We have been asked to report on those recommendations, but there are some recommendations on which we would perhaps seek some modification in terms of our view going forward. To pick one, there is a concentration on district policing. We hope that district policing provides a local, community-focused service to the public but within a divisional structure. A division should be self-sufficient for the majority of what it has to do. Obviously at times the whole service may have to come in behind a district to assist it with big public events or a series of criminal outrages for instance, but by and large a division should be self-sufficient and should have sufficient resources so that the divisional commander and the chief superintendent have enough resources to provide a locally tailored service to the public. That would be based on the district model but the divisions should be autonomous in terms of the provision of the local policing service. They should have their own human resources, HR, and financial support for example, but all within a corporate framework. If I set the corporate framework for how we go about our business it will then be for the divisional commanders, the chief superintendents and their staff to deliver on the service with all of the local characteristics that people will require.