Statement by Cllr Timothy Gaston, TUV Bannside:
“I am deeply shocked and worried that the PSNI Chief Constable has confirmed that there is no Rural Crime Unit operating in Northern Ireland.
“With much fanfare, the previous Justice Minister established this unit to tackle the scourge of rural crime -this was welcome and provided an identifiable PSNI presence dedicated to tackling this type of crime.
“If we take the Ballymena area as an example we have had rural police stations closed in Cullybackey, Broughshane, Portglenone and Kells which has led to a lack of visible policing other than a part time Ballymena station. I would imagine this is a familiar story across the Province.
“A Rural Crime Unit is a necessity, not an expendable option, for tacking rural crime. The new Justice Minister along with the PSNI need to address this issue.”