Christmas message

Christmas is almost upon us, traditionally a time for families, for joy and anticipation. At this time more than any we reflect on events that have passed and look to the future ahead.

All of us have been shocked and saddened by the recent events in our District, the loss of a very young life and the conclusion of a difficult inquest.

In the first case, a man has been charged with the murder if Millie Martin and has appeared in court. In the case of the fatal fire at Lammy Crescent in Omagh, people across our District and indeed Northern Ireland have been shocked at the details revealed during the inquest, which concluded last week.

I am appealing directly to everyone in our community; please assist all agencies by being watchful and mindful of the risks that can exist.

Don't sit on concerns, particularly where children may be involved. We have arrangements in place which work to protect those who are most at risk in our communities.

You can help us in this very important task. It is vital that people know and have confidence that we will investigate, with our partner agencies, any situation where a child may be risk.

We are here to protect the most vulnerable from harm. With your help we can do that.

There are times we are all reminded of what can go horribly wrong in our community. These past few weeks have been an example of that. But our aim remains the same, keeping safe from harm; ourselves, each other, our neighbourhoods and communities.

It's what we all want and what we as your police service, will strive to achieve by working in partnership with you.

I sincerely hope that we never face these issues again. As your District Police Commander, I assure you that my officers and I will continue to work with each of our partner agencies, to do our very best to ensure that we do not.

May I take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a very safe and peaceful Christmas and New Year.

This week, another life was lost on our roads

This week, another life was lost on our roads.

This brings the total of lives taken through road traffic collisions in our policing district this year to 29. The overall total for Northern Ireland now stands at 107, equal to the total number of lives lost in 2008.

Less than two weeks ago, the Police Service launched our annual Winter Road Safety campaign in Fermanagh. Why did we chose Fermanagh? I wanted the launch to be here because we have a high number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. I wanted to highlight the issue of safety, care and attention for all road users. This is not just about those who drive cars. We must include pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, bus drivers, lorry drivers.

It seems to me that the message is understood by most right thinking people. It just doesn't translate into action when some get behind the wheel. I am not referring to driving under the influence of alcohol, where a small minority blatantly disregard the law and we are committed to detecting these people. I am talking about those who drive a little too fast, take risks, overtake when it is not safe to do so, and do not pay due care and attention to the weather or the road conditions.

It is a simple message. Slow down, belt up and pay attention to the road, at all times. We are committed to working with you to make our roads safer but this is one area where we can all make a difference if we take time to think.

After all it is better to arrive late in this world than early in the next.