PSNI faces probe into handling of protests
Ombudsman to examine consistency in policing
THE Police Ombudsman is investigating how the PSNI enforced the coronavirus public health regulations at large public gatherings.
The force faced claims of double standards earlier this week in dealing with separate rallies across Northern Ireland.
Last night, the DUP also called for the PSNI watchdog to extend the investigation to include enforcement at republican funerals that appeared to have flouted pandemic rules.
Up to 70 people were penalised for breaches of coronavirus regulations at Black Lives Matter anti-racism protests in Londonderry and Belfast on June 6.
But a week later, not a single fine was issued at a gathering to “protect” Belfast’s cenotaph.
Several hundred people, including leading far-right figures, stood outside City Hall following an appeal from a group calling itself the Northern Ireland Cenotaph Protection Group. It has called for war memorials to be protected amid attacks on statues of historical figures across Britain.
Assistant Chief Constable Barbara Gray has said that the force was faced with a “very different environment” from those at the Black Lives Matter protests.
A Policing Board member accused the PSNI of inconsistency.
The Ombudsman will examine whether police were consistent in their approach to issuing fixed penalty notices.
Police Ombudsman Marie Anderson has informed the Chief Constable, Department of Justice and the Policing Board that she is starting a probe.
She said her office received complaints about the level of enforcement of the health regulations at the Black Lives Matter protests, compared to other large gatherings such as those on beaches and at the ‘Protect Our Statues’ protest outside Belfast City Hall on June 13.
Mrs Anderson said her investigation will focus on the police policy and how it was and is being implemented.
“It is in the public interest that there be an independent assessment as to whether the associated police policy is being applied consistently,” she said.
“If we identify inconsistencies and can make recommendations which will help improve policing of public gatherings, we will do so promptly. If, however, we identify that there have been good reasons for taking different approaches on occasions, that is something the public should know and understand,” she said.
DUP members of the Policing Board have pressed the Ombudsman to extend the probe to policing activity relating to republican funerals during the pandemic lockdown.
North Antrim MLA Mervyn Storey said: “Consistency is important not just in the actions taken by police officers but also in how we hold them to account.”