Simon Byrne, the Chief Constable of Northern Ireland’s beleaguered police force, has stepped down. It’s about time. The country’s police service, created to oversee a changing society in the aftermath of the Good Friday agreement, has been reeling from a succession of scandals. These stories – not least involving the leak of details about 10,000 police officers and staff on the internet – have had a catastrophic impact on trust inside and outside the organisation.
Byrne’s decision to quit looked inevitable. On Friday, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) submitted a motion of no confidence in the Chief Constable. A few days earlier, the High Court ruled that two junior officers within the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) were unlawfully disciplined for an arrest made at a Troubles commemoration event. These controversies were not isolated incidents: Byrne’s four-year term was punctuated by gaffes and collapsing morale. The revelation that decisions made by its senior management were driven by fear of republican politicians and not due process was the final nail in the coffin.
But there was little flavour of these blunders in the public statement confirming Byrne’s departure that was made by the chair and vice chair of the Policing Board. It began as most of these things do with a tribute to the departing Chief that dispensed notably minimal plaudits. The board’s chair, Deirdre Toner, read a brief statement from Byrne that acknowledged the need for someone new to lead this ‘proud and resolute organisation.’
It’s not a description even the most deluded would accept. When asked by a journalist whether this meant that there would also be a clearly needed reshuffle of the executive leadership behind Byrne, the vice chair Edgar Jardine replied rather unconvincingly that ‘there isn’t one we prepared earlier.’
This doesn’t exactly give confidence that this oversight body is on top of events some of us saw coming a mile away. There was no answer either on who was now actually in charge, which is odd, as in most policing organisations the removal or incapacity of the Chief would mean that his deputy automatically steps up. But there are reports that this relationship had become dysfunctional, and, in any case, Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton was involved in the disastrous decision to discipline the two junior officers.
Northern Ireland’s police force needs more than just a change at the top to fix things. The Policing Board – which has a majority of politicians on it – has become far too close to those whose role is to impartially enforce the law and who should have unfettered operational control over policing decisions. That they may themselves be part of the problem adds a layer of complexity to an already fraught situation.
The ’special meeting’ of the Policing Board continues. One imagines it will go on for some time as those around the table contemplate how they intend to recruit someone to lead an organisation so thoroughly toxic. Whoever is chosen to succeed Byrne will need to do two urgent things. Firstly, they must restore confidence in the ranks that the welfare of police officers actually matters to senior leaders. The perception that frontline staff are led by careerist donkeys who fall apart at the slightest pressure from politicians needs to change. The second related point is to make it clear to politicians that, while their input is valuable, they have absolutely no place in operational policing decisions. These must be made according to the law, not the sectarian geography of a particular situation. That’s a hell of a job description already. Who is out there that can step up?
As vice chair Edgar Jardine said, while momentous events are happening behind closed doors, men and women in the PSNI front line are out there in the community responding to people who are often at the worst moments of their lives. The PSNI control room receives 90 domestic violence related calls for assistance every day. There’s no respite for politics. Those in trouble and those responding to it, with an added severe terrorist threat hanging over them, deserve so much better.
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