Minister for Foreign Affairs welcomes new PSNI officers
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Brian Cowen TD, welcomed today's graduation ceremony for the first 44 recruits joining the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The Minister said:
“Today's ceremony is another important step along the road to creating the fully representative and widely-acceptable police service envisaged in the Good Friday Agreement and by the Patten Commission. Taken together with other developments, including the introduction of the new uniform and badge, today's auspicious event is one further milestone in transforming the landscape of policing in Northern Ireland.
Part of that new landscape involves closer and more structured co-operation between the PSNI and an Garda Síochána, reflected in the important North/South Conference on policing held earlier this week, and the ongoing training exchanges between both services. I also warmly commend the Northern Ireland Policing Board for all of the good work it is doing in progressively delivering on the vision of the new beginning in policing which was at the heart of the Patten Report.
Finally, this is, above all, a great day for the 44 young men and women, from both sides of the community, who begin their careers of service as police officers. I wish them every success and fulfilment in the future”.
