His comments follow a question to the Minister in the Assembly on Monday and comments made by the Chief Constable in relation to the Finance Minister's reply.
Mr Dunne commented:
'The Finance Minister's response to my question in relation to his willingness to fund the PSNI recovery plan was tone deaf and rightly criticised by the Chief Constable.
The events of the last week have highlighted once again the real-world consequences of chronic underfunding. Additionally, a recent His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services report found that the PSNI's child internet protection unit does not have the resources to keep up with the volume of referrals it receives from the National Crime Agency.
Meanwhile, John O’Dowd has the audacity to ask the PSNI 'What are you doing to help yourself?'. This statement denies the reality of the strain on our Police Service whilst shamefully trying to absolve himself of responsibility to address the funding shortfall.
Whilst some simply don’t appear to prioritise policing and others have criticised the Chief Constable for highlighting the need for funding, the DUP has been resolute in our support for his call for additional resources.
It is high time that the Minister stopped passing the buck and worked with the Justice Minister to fully deliver the PSNI recovery plan and prioritise the safety of our local communities. Police officers aren’t out on the streets to “help themselves”. They are often putting themselves in danger to protect the entire community and the Finance Minister should publicly recognise that and reflect on his comments.”