The participants in the multi-party negotiations, which ended in the Good Friday Agreement believed that there was an opportunity for a new approach on how policing is delivered in Northern Ireland.
Those involved in writing the Good Friday Agreement agreed that an Independent Commission would be set up. This Commission became known as the Patten Commission, after its chairman Chris Patten.
The Patten Commission was appointed to make recommendations for future policing arrangements in Northern Ireland. An important theme of the Patten Report was that policing should be more localised by creating District Command Units that would cover the same area as District Councils. The commission also said that regular discussions on policing issues should take place at district level between police and the community. District Policing Partnerships (DPPs) were recommended as a means of achieving this. The Government accepted this recommendation and legislation was enacted which led to the creation of DPPs.
On the 4th March 2003 DPPs were set up by the Policing Board in co-operation with local councils. They were established so that local people, in partnership with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), could shape local policing by working together to reduce the levels of crime in order to provide a better quality of life for everyone.
DPPs are made up of members of the local community and are either members of the public (Independent Members), or councillors (Political Members) who represent the district on their local council.
DPPs have many important responsibilities. For example, they give voice to community views on policing, identify, discuss and prioritise local concerns and establish policing priorities.
DPPs also contribute to the formulation of local policing plans and together with local PSNI District Commanders they will make a positive and significant difference to policing with the community right across Northern Ireland.