THE POLICE FEDERATION for Northern Ireland has unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in the PSNI deputy chief constable Mark Hamilton.
Hamilton is currently leading the organisation following the resignation of Simon Byrne as chief constable this week after a string of controversies.
The news that Byrne had resigned was announced at a press conference on Monday following an emergency meeting of the Policing Board.
Northern Ireland Policing Board Deirdre Toner told the press conference that “it is now time for someone new to lead this proud and resolute organisation”.
The Police Federation met today to discuss the fallout from a recent High Court ruling which found that the disciplining of two junior officers following an arrest at a Troubles memorial event on the Ormeau Road in Belfast in 2021 was unlawful.
The federation also expressed no confidence in the PSNI’s chief operating officer Pamela McCreedy and the assistant chief officer Clare Duffield.
Federation chairman, Liam Kelly, said: “We had a thorough and detailed discussion of all the issues relating to the judicial review ruling, the treatment of our two probationer officers and the monumental data breaches.
“Our federation is of the collective view that because of his (Hamilton’s) involvement in the decisions concerning the Ormeau Road incident, and the real or perceived political interference in that process, we can have no confidence in him.
“Furthermore, in the wider context of the management, accountability and operation of the service, my federation colleagues said they had no confidence either in the chief operating officer McCreedy, and the assistant chief officer, Duffield.”
A row erupted last week when High Court judge Mr Justice Scoffield ruled that two junior officers were unlawfully disciplined for an arrest made at a Troubles commemoration event.
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.
Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings were in force when the annual wreath-laying ceremony took place.
The two officers faced action after the arrest of Mark Sykes, a survivor of a loyalist gun attack.
Sykes was handcuffed and arrested in chaotic exchanges captured on social media. He was later released without charge.
Byrne apologised for the incident and confirmed disciplinary steps taken against the two recently recruited officers.
In the High Court last week, Mr Justice Scoffield said the decision to discipline the officers was made to allay any threat of Sinn Féin abandoning its support for policing in Northern Ireland.
Following an emergency meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board last week to discuss this ruling, Byrne told reports: “After carefully reviewing the full judgment, I sought further advice. After consideration, the question of an appeal is now live.”
Liam Kelly today said that the leadership team of the PSNI needed to urgently clarify whether it still intended to appeal against the High Court ruling.
He added: “The service is in dire need of clear and strong leadership.
“We have to fix what’s fractured and change the entire way of working so that there isn’t a damaging and dangerous disconnect between the senior executive team (SET) and all officers.
“We must have a leadership that listens and acts on the genuine and constructive feedback from the rank-and-file.
“None of this is easy, but we feel we owe it to our members to express in the strongest possible terms the deep feelings of hurt, resentment and anger that exists.”
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