The Chief Constable of the PSNI has dismissed allegations that some officers were instructed to remove their firearms before attending meetings in Sinn Féin offices or at public events in west Belfast and Derry.
The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, has also stated it has no knowledge of any situation where its members were told to surrender their personal protection weapons, reports RTE.
The claims were made by Jon Burrows, an Ulster Unionist Party member of the Stormont Assembly and a former police officer.
In a letter to Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, Mr Burrows alleged that Sinn Féin members had “demanded that PSNI officers remove their personal protection firearms before entering Sinn Féin offices to deal with members of the public or on occasion when attending community meetings,” reports RTE.
Calling the alleged practice “an outrageous example of political interference in policing,” he urged Mr Boutcher to conduct an investigation.
Trevor Clarke, a DUP Assembly member and Northern Ireland Policing Board representative, supported that call during a BBC Radio Ulster discussion, saying the practice had been ongoing for years, reports RTE.
However, Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly, who also sits on the Policing Board, dismissed the allegations outright.
“Sinn Féin does not instruct or direct police officers. Nobody has the authority to tell police officers what to do other than their superior officers,” he said in a statement, reports RTE.
Chief Constable Boutcher addressed the issue during the Policing Board’s monthly meeting yesterday.
“At no stage has Sinn Féin, or for that matter any other political party, raised any issues with me or anyone in the Service Executive Team about police officers carrying their police-issue Personal Protection Weapons at public meetings,” he said.
“If they did ask, they would be told very clearly that this is an operational police matter and that the safety and security of my officers is non-negotiable,” reports RTE.
He added that he had spoken directly with District Commanders in west Belfast, Derry City and Strabane, as well as with the Police Federation, and none had reported any such cases.
Mr Boutcher reiterated that the carrying of personal protection weapons “remains a necessary reality of policing in Northern Ireland,” reports RTE.
He further stated that there is “no direction in place” for officers to comply with requests not to carry weapons at public meetings, and any officer facing such a request would have his full backing to refuse.
However, he cautioned that discussions about officers’ security arrangements, including their use of protective weapons, should not take place publicly, reports RTE.
The Police Federation for Northern Ireland has also confirmed it is unaware of any such policy, saying it would endanger officers.
“There are no circumstances where police officers should disarm themselves on instruction of a political party or its representatives,” a spokesperson said, reports RTE.
“This can only be classed as political interference and a clear attempt to dictate to the PSNI. It must be emphatically and unequivocally resisted. Complying with such instructions places officers at an unacceptable risk.
“The Chief Constable must immediately issue an instruction to officers that under no circumstances are they to feel pressurised to comply with such orders from any political party or its representatives,” the spokesperson added, reports RTE.
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