Chief Constable welcomes Policing Board commitment to address 'challenges'

Simon Byrne has come under fire following the arrest, and later release of Mark Sykes during a commemoration of the 1992 loyalist murder Credit: UTV

The Chief Constable has welcomed a commitment from the Policing Board for them to work with him to address the challenges arising from policing the pandemic

Members of a police oversight body in Northern Ireland earlier committed to a joint statement after Simon Byrne fielded their questions for more than two hours.

Questioning centred on a controversial incident in Belfast when a Troubles survivor was arrested following an atrocity commemoration.

The Police Ombudsman watchdog has since initiated an investigation into how police handled the event on the Ormeau Road last Friday.

One officer has been suspended from duty and another repositioned after angry scenes unfolded when they approached some of the attendees to highlight potential coronavirus breaches in relation to the size of the gathering.

The event was commemorating the 1992 loyalist murder of five people at the Sean Graham bookmakers shop.

Mark Sykes, who was shot multiple times in that attack, was arrested during the commemoration.

Mr Sykes, who was detained on suspicion of disorderly behaviour and later released, has admitted swearing at an officer.

Mr Byrne has since apologised for how the police handled the incident, claiming the officers involved fell below the expected standards of the PSNI.

The controversy has sparked a political row amid claims from republicans of police discrimination against nationalist communities and counterclaims from unionists that the officers involved have not been afforded due process.

Despite the fallout, unionist and nationalist political members of the Policing Board did reach a degree of consensus on Thursday as they discussed how to work with the police to address issues that have arisen going forward.

Mr Byrne and Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton briefed a scheduled meeting of the board's performance committee on the Ormeau Road event and other recent contentious incidents related to the enforcement of Covid-19 regulations. All board members were invited to attend.

Afterwards a statement agreed by all members was issued by Policing Board chair Doug Garrett which said: "Discussion focused on issues relevant to the incident on 5 February and around wider concerns from recent events.

"With the matter under investigation by the Police Ombudsman, the Board is now restricted in public comment on the incident.

"That said, board members are agreed that the policing of Covid-19 regulations has proven to be challenging.

"The different perspectives and views around policing style, approach and community relationships will need further consideration by the board.

"However, there remains a consensus and commitment from all of our board members to work with the Chief Constable as we move forward in dealing with the issues."

In response, Simon Byrne issued a statement following what he called the "constructive meeting" with the Board.

However, Mr Byrne did say he was unable to discuss any of the detail or make further public comment surrounding the incident given the ongoing Police Ombudsman investigation. In his statement he said, "Regarding the meeting I welcome the recognition from the Board as our accountability body that the Police Service of Northern Ireland is currently operating in a very challenging and difficult environment."

"I remain strongly committed to enhancing both community policing and confidence in the Service," the statement continued.

"I will continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders over the coming weeks and I will provide updates to the Board on progress on a monthly basis”.

Meanwhile, UTV understands the Police Ombudsman's investigation into allegations of security force collusion in the Sean Graham bookies massacre in 1992 will report its findings later this year.

There had been concerns over the length of time it was taking to complete the inquiry.

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