To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he plans to take to improve community confidence in the capability of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to respond effectively to crime. (180866)

Confidence in the police is high—the latest NI Crime Survey figures, for the period 1 October 2006 until 30 September 2007, show a further upturn in confidence levels in police and policing arrangements, now standing at 78 per cent.

The Northern Ireland Policing Board works with the PSNI to increase confidence, and a range of targets are set out in the current Policing Plan. A copy of the current Policing Plan 2007-10 is available on the Policing Board website:

www.nipolicingboard.org.uk