Police have made arrest over threat to journalist
POLICE have made an arrest in relation to a recent incident involving a journalist, Chief Constable Simon Byrne has said.
Mr Byrne said police had also identified another offender in relation to a previous incident involving a journalist.
He told yesterday’s Policing Board meeting that the PSNI have also allocated a senior investigative officer to deal with the issue of threats and harassment towards journalists.
A number of journalists in Northern Ireland have recently received death threats, while others have faced sustained harrasment and abuse on social media.
Last month sinister public threats were made against Sunday World journalist Patricia Devlin and the Irish News’ Allison Morris. Mr Byrne noted these incidents had escalated at the same time as “graffiti, threats and disruption towards political leaders and other high profile individuals”.
“I issued my own condemnation a few weeks ago after recent issues,” he said. “I can’t go into specific detail but we have made an arrest in relation to a recent incident and we’ve identified another offender in relation to a previously reported incident in relation to a journalist.”
Mr Byrne reiterated the PSNI’S commitment to tackling the issue.
“Myself, head of communications and head of press had a really constructive meeting with the National Union of Journalists two weeks ago, both locally and from the UK,” he said.
“We tried to offer reassurance about how seriously we take this issue in terms of promoting free speech in a civic society.
“What we will do, both in terms of crime prevention and active investigation and also putting in place specific points of contact in relation to the press office, but also a senior investigative officer who will have oversight of all the crimes and issues around harassment, damage and actual threat to make sure there’s a consistent and robust approach where there is evidence.”
UUP board member Mike Nesbitt, a former journalist, thanked the Chief Constable for agreeing to meet the Assembly’s All Party Group on Press Freedom and Media Sustainability to discuss threats to journalists.
The newly-formed MLA group is seeking clarity on how the PSNI is responding to the increasing harassment of and threats against journalists.
Last month the group heard harrowing evidence from Ms Devlin on her ordeal.