Police Federation calls on Chief Constable withdraw ‘offensive’ tweet

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) has called on Chief Constable George Hamilton to withdraw comments he has made on social media about pressures facing police officers.

On Saturday night, Mr Hamilton responded to comments from a Twitter user that police are "expected to do far more roles than ever anticipated".

PFNI Chairman Mark Lindsay says the Chief Constable should apologise to officers and withdraw his comments, which he says are “offensive”.

“We have thousands of days lost through a range of illnesses. We have officers grappling with psychological conditions because of the appalling things they have had to experience and witness,” he continued.

“To cap it all, we have a Chief Constable who tells the men and women he commands that if they don’t like it, they can leave and get another job.

“Mr Hamilton has got this badly wrong. To say to officers to ‘dry your eyes, do the job or move on’ amounts to great insult and a stunning misjudgement.

“The job is tough enough without the Chief Constable showing such indifference. Better if he empathised more with the men and women who deliver policing at the ‘coalface’. He has a chance to put this right. He should take that opportunity without delay.”