Inspector Roy Robinson is on the move to Dungannon
AFTER almost 40 years serving the local community, Inspector Roy Robinson says he is leaving his native Fermanagh “with a heavy heart” to take up a new position in south Tyrone.
A promotion to Chief Inspector will see him posted to Dungannon from 1st August with Inspector Rory Hoy, currently based in Lisnaskea, taking over the post of Sector Commander in Enniskillen.
Reflecting on his four decades of work in Fermanagh, the Inspector says he is proud to have served in the district since 1978.
“It’s a great honour to get promoted although it means that I have to leave my beloved Fermanagh where I was born and reared with a heavy heart. It will be a sad parting from so many wonderful people in the community who I have come to know and love.”
He added: “I’m a community person so I’m very much looking forward to working with the people in Dungannon. By reaching out to the local communities, I hope that I have been able to make a difference during my time here in Fermanagh. There is great community togetherness which has been developed over the years by so many people reaching out. I have always found that if you put out the hand of friendship here, there was always one more reaching back.
“We have come through some horrendous times but the changes in the province have been tremendous. When I first joined the RUC, I never imagined that the Troubles would last so long. No one could ever have anticipated that, so it has been wonderful to police the peace and to see the state of normality now in Fermanagh.
“People get on so well with each other and lots of barriers have been broken down,” he added.
After three brushes with cancer in his early 20s and battling lung cancer twice, Inspector Robinson says these experiences have taught him a lot about life.
“I understand the importance of lying in a hospital bed with others in the same boat and fighting for our lives to be around for a little bit longer. Ironically and sadly at the same time there were healthy people outside killing each other. I was 25 when I was first diagnosed with cancer so I have doubled my life.
“My consultant used to wonder how I was still around but I’m glad that I was able to see all of the positive changes.
It has been a great journey for me and I have enjoyed the job immensely which I hope that I will be able to do for another few years yet.”
Working under the PSNI mantra of ‘Keeping People Safe’, Mr Robinson’s focus has been on ensuring that local people feel secure in their homes and on the roads.
“That has been our main goal in recent years and I think that the community realise that this is what a normal policing environment looks like. I will face the same challenges in Mid-Ulster alongside continuing to work very closely with An Garda Siochana, who face similar problems with travelling criminals along with border.”
Recent highlights of the Inspector’s career have included Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Enniskillen in 2012 followed a year later by welcoming world leaders to the G8 sumit at the Lough Erne Resort.
“These were wonderful times to be involved in policing and very memorable moments that helped to put County Fermanagh firmly on the map,” he added.
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