Last month, former Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Simon Byrne, resigned following a controversial incident that has given rise to an unfolding legal debacle. The controversy stemmed from an officer’s arrest during a memorial vigil for the five victims of the 1992 Sean Graham bookmakers’ attack on Ormeau Road by loyalist gunmen.
The incident in question embroiled an officer who now seeks legal action. Last February, he was suspended following the contentious arrest at the vigil. Another officer involved in the incident was given restricted duties. The recent legal proceedings aim to scrutinize the decisions made in the aftermath of these suspensions.
Upon reviewing the case, a senior PSNI officer decided not to proceed with the misconduct attributed to the Probationary officer, despite the Police Ombudsman referring the officer for internal disciplinary proceedings earlier. Nevertheless, Byrne intervened personally, a rare step for a Chief Constable, ordering the officer to attend a misconduct meeting planned for July 2023. This meeting has been subsequently postponed due to a separate judicial review concerning the initial suspension.
The recent court documents suggest that Mr. Byrne’s intervention was bias-driven, pointing toward his role in the officer’s prior suspension. It was further noted that Byrne had previously promised to abstain from the case post the suspension decision.
With Mr. Byrne’s departure from his post, the PSNI is expected to respond collectively to the case. However, as an interested party, Byrne will also be informed about the developments.
In February 2021, a crowd gathered at Ormeau road to commemorate the 29th anniversary of a gruesome attack where loyalist gunmen murdered five people. Police involvement was initiated on suspicions of Covid regulations violations. The arrest of Mark Sykes, a survivor of the 1992 incident, sparked controversies. Nationalist politicians viewed this act discriminatory, drawing comparisons to an event held three days earlier at Pitt Park in east Belfast.
In a phone call made by Sinn Féin’s police spokesperson, Gerry Kelly, to Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton, following Sykes’s arrest, Kelly vehemently denied any threats to withdraw Sinn Féin’s support for the PSNI.
Conversely, Unionist politicians perceive these events as evidence of a dual standard in policing. Democratic Unionist Party MLA Trevor Clarke claimed the officers involved were working under senior officers’ directions.
On September 4, Simon Byrne resigned immediately as Chief Constable amidst these contentions and several data breaches, including the accidental publication of the information of about 10,000 PSNI officers and civilian staff.
Currently, an independent review dives deeper into these data breaches. The matter remains under deliberation with no definitive resolution in sight.
