Back in January 2010 I drew attention to the removal of the Patten Establishment figures from the PSNI website. These figures provided a useful comparison between the Patten recommendations for the size of a 'peacetime' police service and the number of full time qualified officers currently in post. The removal of the figures followed soon after what I've been told was a robust exchange between the Chief Constable, Matt Baggott, and some members of a political party. The politicians had decided to challenge a shortfall in police numbers.
I've recently checked the monthly manpower statistics and noted that no such statistics have been published since May 1, 2010 - which is three months ago. This pattern would indicate that PSNI management is unwilling to be open and transparent about its manpower resources.
