The running issue of the Desetcreat police and community safety college came to a head yesterday (11 November 2014) as Justice Minister David Ford met with elected representatives from the mid-Ulster area and then the Justice Committee to discuss the Northern Ireland Community Safety College planned for the Desertcreat area.
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Beaver scout cars training at Ballykinlar during World War II.[/caption]
Ballykinlar army camp is still a contender for the training venue and with the withdrawal of 2 Para from the camp this year, the door is open for a pragmatic and lower cost option for a cash strapped Stormont government. There seems to be a determination that this project be delivered west of the Bann, however, the sheer cost of the project may be its downfall. Efforts by South Down politicians may yet pull off a coup for Down.
Speaking to Down News, Down District Councillor Dermot Curran said: “At a recent meeting of the Ballyhinlar school working group which I chair, the issue of the future of the camp was raised. There are no regiments at the camp now and it is being maintained by the MOD. It is being used by the PSNI, and has even been used by football squads and evcen by a group from Dublin.
“The facilities on the camp are first class. It has extensive shooting ranges, accomodation, and even boasts an olympic sized swimming pool.
“”We must find a solution to this problem and secure the future of the camp for the district and for the Ballykinlar community. It will create jobs, tourism, help to preserve the environment and is certainly a much cheaper option than the Desertcreat project. We certainly need a new training facility for the police and for community safety, and I propose that we press ahead with the Ballykinlar option through the new shadow council.
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Councillor Dermot Curran has called for support for the development of a police training college at Ballykinlar camp.[/caption]
“I intend to raise this with the Chief Executive of the Newry, Mourne and Down Council and we need to call a meeting with the Justice Minister David Ford and state our case. We must encourage the viable use of this facility and we do not want to see what happened at RAF Bishopscourt when the MOD pulled out in the early nineties. We are still looking at the terrible legacy of that decision.”
Speaking after the two meetings yesterday (11 November 2014), Justice Minister David Ford said: “These meetings were a good opportunity for me to update elected representatives on the latest factual situation on delivery of the Northern Ireland Community Safety College at Desertcreat. The representatives were assured that, despite recent speculation, the College has not been scrapped.
“I was able to advise that, following a detailed review carried out by the NICSC Programme Board, the Steering Group has concluded that it would not be prudent at this stage to press ahead with the current project. The Steering Group has however, asked for reviews to be carried out to determine what the present position means for the procurement process and to establish what is appropriate, affordable and deliverable in the current budgetary climate.
“Development of the College is a joint project between the Department of Justice and the Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety. Delivery of the College is a commitment in the Programme for Government, and at its last meeting, the Executive reaffirmed this commitment.”
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The proposal to build the police training college west of the Bann at Desertcreat may be purely a political decision, but in the interest of good government, has Stormont any choice but to reconsider the Ballykinlar proposal in the interest of financial common sense when a cheaper option is available saving millions of pounds?
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