11293 report 19 - CAIN - University of Ulster

Recommendation 47: Police Probationary TrainingPatten Recommendation:47. All probationary police officers should undertake the operational phases of their probationarytraining doing team policing in the community.Lead Responsibility: Chief ConstableRecommendation StatusCompliance with this recommendation has been achieved.HistoryIn the split-force organisational configuration selected by Police Service it proved impractical forofficers to spend all their probationary period in neighbourhood policing. A compromise wasstruck by DCU commanders ensuring that during the probationary period, each probationerwould serve a portion of field training assigned to a neighbourhood policing team, while alsoreceiving tutoring from an experienced officer assigned to response duties. This solution isworking to the satisfaction of commanders and probationers alike, and fulfils the spirit of thisrecommendation.Recommendation 48: Patrolling on FootPatten Recommendation:48. Where practical, policing teams should patrol on foot.Lead Responsibility: Chief Constable/District CommandersRecommendation StatusCompliance with this recommendation has been achieved.HistoryDuty rosters in DCUs across both urban and rural regions reflect the consistent assignment ofofficers to walking beats, varied according to local conditions. Observations and interviews ofbeat officers and community members confirm performance, although this must be tempered withconcerns over short-term abstractions to other duties. For veteran officers in many localities thisrecommendation represented the continuation of a familiar policing routine. In more difficultareas police officers were observed to be expanding their range of patrol by location and time ofday, while balancing this against the perceived risks. The high visibility jacket adopted for beatofficers is a decidedly effective strategy, as are the bicycle patrols introduced in numerous DCUs.Surveys of public attitudes conducted by the Policing Board confirm an unwavering desire by thewider public for greater police visibility, accompanied by rising expectations.62