Special Policing Board meeting on officer misconduct

Alliance member of the board, John Blair, said the meeting would investigate the “logjam” in police internal disciplinary hearings, some of which at present can take up to five years to complete.

The special meeting was demanded after the board on Thursday discussed allegations that two police officers took photographs and video of a suicide victim’s corpse, and then shared them online.

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne described the allegations, which were aired on the BBC Spotlight programme this week, as “harrowing and shocking”.

Mr Blair stressed that the special meeting would discuss the wider issue of PSNI internal discipline processes rather than individual cases.

The Alliance MLA for South Antrim said there was a “worrying trend” in recent years involving PSNI officers facing allegations of misconduct.

He pointed out that in the five years up to 2021, 134 PSNI officers faced allegations of sexual misconduct alone.

“This special meeting of the Policing Board will seek clarification of these figures and others. It will investigate the time-frame of investigations and resources for them. And it will look into the ‘culture’ behind this alleged misbehaviour as these are damning revelations that pose a danger to confidence in policing in Northern Ireland. We will have to deal with this trend as efficiently as possible to seek better outcomes,” Mr Blair said.

DUP Policing Board representative Trevor Clarke called on the Chief Constable to “improve transparency by providing regular reports on the number and nature of misconduct cases within the PSNI.”

Mr Clarke added: “Another five years cannot be allowed to pass without justice being served.”