'At no stage' did Sinn Féin suggest withdrawing support for PSNI, says Gerry Kelly
Eden Wilson reports.
Sinn Féin Policing Board member Gerry Kelly has said "at no stage" did he suggest his party would withdraw support for the PSNI during discussions over how an incident at a Troubles memorial event was policed in 2021.
However DUP Policing Board member Trevor Clarke said Sinn Féin's statement "doesn’t answer the questions which have been raised".
It comes as the Policing Board is due to hold an urgent meeting with PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne over a High Court ruling.
On Tuesday, a judge ruled that two junior officers were 'unlawfully disciplined' after an arrest at a Troubles memorial in Belfast to allay any threat of Sinn Féin abandoning its support for policing in Northern Ireland.The incident happened on the Ormeau Road in February 2021 during a service marking the anniversary of the February 1992 Sean Graham bookmakers attack in which five people were murdered.
On Wednesday, Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly issued a statement relating to the judgment and said there was never any suggestion made by him or his party that support for police would be withdrawn over the handling of the 2021 incident.He said: “Sinn Féin supports and is fully committed to the new beginning to policing.
"It is the responsibility of all parties to continue to achieve an effective and efficient service, which polices impartially with the community.
“An important part of that is the ability of elected representatives and independent members on the Policing Board to hold the police to account.
“That’s why the Policing Board was set up, and that’s why Sinn Féin continues to play a critical role on the board and other local accountability mechanisms.
“It’s a matter of public record that we raised our valid concerns with the Chief Constable and senior police officers about the arrest of victims on the Ormeau Road where families were commemorating the murders of their loved ones by loyalists.
“I want to set the record straight," he added.
“At no stage during any calls to, or meetings with, senior PSNI officers did I suggest or insinuate that Sinn Féin would withdraw support for the rule of law or policing, or remove our members from the Policing Board.
“Our focus is fully on continuing to play a role in helping to ensure that our policing service is fair, impartial, efficient, effective and accountable.”
Meanwhile DUP Policing Board representative Trevor Clarke said: “It is a matter of record that a court has found the Chief Constable’s decision-making process to have been influenced by how he believed it would impact Sinn Féin’s support for policing.
"It is notable that Sinn Féin’s initial reaction to this ruling was that it was a 'matter for the PSNI'.
"Perhaps it is only as pressure has further mounted that further comment was issued by Gerry Kelly.
"That however doesn’t resolve the questions facing both the Chief Constable and Sinn Féin.
"We will never know exactly what was said during the calls or meetings between Sinn Féin representatives and senior PSNI officers on that day.
"The overarching issue is why the Chief Constable felt Sinn Féin’s support for policing was so tenuous that he needed to sacrifice the careers of two officers.
"We know that a hands-off approach was taken towards the Bobby Storey funeral.
"It is clear that the differential approach towards republicans didn’t emerge on the day of the Ormeau Road incident, but predated it.
"Concerns about two-tier policing have existed over many years now but it is staggering that this has come forward so clearly in a court.
"Sinn Féin’s belated intervention on the issue doesn’t answer the questions which have been raised.”
SDLP Policing Board member Mark H Durkan said serious issues with policing had been exposed.
He added: “The chief constable, the Policing Board and all of us with an interest in securing the new beginning to policing must act urgently to address this situation.”
A spokesperson for the Alliance Party told UTV that the high court judgment "raises a number of issues relation to confidence in policing".
"There should be no political interference in policing but rather accountability."
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