‘Institutionally racist PSNI must win back trust’
Black officers’ leader hits out after report on policing of rallies and protesters vow to sue
THE PSNI has been accused of being “institutionally racist” after a watchdog criticised its handling of Black Lives Matter protests earlier this year.
Andy George, who is president of the National Black Police Association, made the claim after a Police Ombudsman report hit out at the PSNI’S differing approach to the BLM events and a ‘protect our monument’ counter-demonstration days later.
Chief Constable Simon Byrne has apologised, saying it is time to show “some humility”, and vowed to “put things right”.
But protesters are to sue the police, a solicitor revealed. Darragh Mackin, who represents the protesters, said the police actions “rode a cart and horses” through his clients’ human rights.
Po l i c e Ombudsman Marie Anderson concluded that claims that the PSNI’S differing approach to the protests were unfair and discriminatory were “justified”. But she did not believe this was intentional or based on race or ethnicity.
The BLM protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died while being restrained by police officers in the United States.
The PSNI faced widespread criticism after handing out fines to protest supporters in Belfast and Londonderry on June 6, while the ‘protect our monuments’ counter-protest in central Belfast a week later saw no fixed penalty notices issued. Officers subsequently launched an investigation into the gathering at City Hall.
Mr George, who is a PSNI officer but was speaking under his role as NBPA chief, said our police service was dealing with the Patten recommendations when the Macpherson report was published in relation to the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993.
And as such, he said, the PSNI had failed to anticipate Northern Ireland becoming more divisive.
He said: “I believe that the PSNI is institutionally racist in relation to existing systems and processes within the PSNI which work to the detriment of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. This does not mean that all officers and staff members are racist.” He added: “We’re at the point where, internally and externally, that we don’t believe the PSNI has taken into account its ethnic minority staff and officers and communities into their decision making enough.
“It’s now about not that label itself but how the PSNI responds to it and what it puts in place to regain the trust and confidence of staff, officers and community members.”
Mr George added that the BAME community here had been left “frustrated” by the PSNI’S actions in relation to the BLM protests.
In a separate statement the NBPA said it welcomed the Ombudsman’s findings and hoped st akeholders, i ncluding t he PSNI, “acknowledge the concerns of the community” and take “swift action” in response.
Meanwhile, a joint statement by groups representing ethnic minorities here said questions on police actions remain unanswered.
“We have warned the PSNI and others about the prevalence of institutional and systemic racism right across Northern Ireland for many years now,” they said.
“The PSNI struggles to acknowledge that Northern Ireland is a multi-ethnic society. Policing is still based on ‘ two communities’.”
Calling for the PSNI to issue a “proper apology”, they added: “The PSNI must acknowledge institutional racism and take concrete steps to address it.”
The Belfast Telegraph asked the PSNI to respond claims of “institutional racism” and in response, the PSNI reiterated comments made by Mr Byrne.
Mr Byrne has said he had already moved to set up a new community relations taskforce within the PSNI. He added: “The time is right to show some humility and say sorry.”