Draft Graduation Speech for Brian Rea
Friday 25th August 2006
Chief Constable, Graduated Officers, Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It gives me great pleasure to be here on behalf of the
Policing Board to welcome you into the PSNI.
Today is your day: a day for you to celebrate your
achievements with your families and friends; a day to look
forward to the future as you take the next steps in your
policing careers.
Let us not forget the invaluable support provided to you by
your families and friends, many of whom are here today,
proud and honoured by your successes. I have no doubt
that that their support has been invaluable to you – and it
will of course be of continued importance throughout your
careers.
It is also a day to thank the trainers and staff at the college
for their hard work and support in guiding and moulding you
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through what is an intensive training course. Their pride in
your achievements is also very evident.
You are right to feel proud today. You are right to feel
satisfied – and probably relieved – to have succeeded in
passing such an intensive training programme.
Today is a new beginning for you. Today sees your dream
of becoming a police officer turn into a reality. This is an
exciting time to join policing. The PSNI has embraced a
great deal of change in recent years:

change that has brought policing closer to the
community and the community closer to policing;

change that puts human rights at the heart of policing;
and

change which through the work of the Policing Board,
ensures real police accountability through strong
independent oversight;

change which provides a blueprint for policing
worldwide.
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The PSNI continues to seek innovative ways to deliver
policing to meet the needs of a 21st century community.
Each and every one of you here today has a contribution to
make to the delivery of that service which has the support of
the whole community. Each and every one of you can
make that contribution in the small, everyday issues you will
deal with.
When the PSNI and the Policing Board was established on
4th November 2001, there was a mammoth task ahead of
us. That task could not be turned around quickly. We were
aware that it would take time to deliver the kind of policing
we were committed to.
In that time:

114 of the 175 Patten recommendations have been met;
and

The service is more representative of the community
with increased representation in terms of religion and
gender.
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These changes have taken time and the Patten programme
recognised that it would take 10 years to complete.
It has
taken hard work. It has taken patience.

little by little, the change agenda has delivered;

piece by piece, the PSNI has made headway;

each small contribution from each individual has made
a difference.
And each of you will make a difference.
And it is the small things that matter.
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A Senior Officer recently said to me:
“Courtesy – is an essential quality and one which will
smooth many a path. The public have a right to expect it
and with it its complementary quality – good temper.”
What strikes me on each of my many visits to the College is
the courtesy and friendliness shown to visitors by students.
Each and every person makes the effort to make eye
contact, smile and communicate with visitors. This is a
small but vital means of interacting with others.
As police officers, your job is based around communication
and engagement, and the effect of this cannot be
underestimated. It’s strange what the effect a smile can
have on a casual “how are you?” Some people will respond
automatically and beam right back; some will be pleasantly
surprised; others will be more cautious about responding at
all. But there is no doubt that even basic communications
challenge unseen boundaries.
A smile is worth a thousand words.
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You as police officers, are the main players:

you are out on the streets – some of you may be on
bicycles and maybe even on horseback!;

you are knocking on the doors;

you are talking to people;

you will learn the grass roots issues.
And that is why it is so important that you can engage with
the community you work in. Officers must work hard at
securing the trust and support of the whole community by
treating all people with courtesy, respect, fairness and
impartiality. People have the right to a policing service
which is effective and efficient and for officers to act with
the highest integrity and basic courtesy.
The Senior Officer I quoted a moment ago also spoke of the
“complementary quality of good temper”.
 We - all of us – should try not to lose our temper.
Any of us in a temper will say and do things which
afterwards we will profoundly regret
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 We should also not lose our head….. or as Kipling
said “If you can keep your head when all about you
are losing theirs and blaming it on you”
There is still much work to do in bringing the community
closer to policing.
Northern Ireland has not yet changed into a normal society.
Sectarianism is still an issue which we must address.
We still have not yet learned to live together.
As a society, we must embrace diversity and respect those
who we perceive to be different to us. It was, however,
hugely encouraging that this year’s parades passed
peacefully and that communities committed themselves to
resolving difficult parading issues.
And of course there is the politics and the deadline of
November 24th approaches.
It is to be regretted that the PSNI and the Policing Board still
do not have full political and public support. However, that is
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a matter for Government and the political parties and not for
the Board.
And so to your future…..you have been given the training
and skills to do the job of a police officer. As you move out
into the community, each of you will adapt each day to new
circumstances, change and challenges.
Your policing skills and your interpersonal skills will be
tested to the full. But the job you have chosen is a worthy
one and it is work well worth doing. As you go about your
daily job, I hope that you are always open to the challenge
of fully meeting the policing needs of our community and all
those with whom you come into contact. By doing so you
will earn the respect of and make the community proud of
you.
Earlier I mentioned 2 ‘shoulds’. I add a third:
 We should never not lose hope. The very opposite
is true: the PSNI today is symbolic of that hope and
what can be achieved when people work together.
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On behalf of the Policing Board I wish you future success.
Thank you.
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