Bobby Storey funeral: ‘A blind eye was turned before – but PSNI cannot ignore this’

The PSNI top brass has been told that whilst the force has turned a blind eye in the past, officers cannot ignore the colossal Bobby Storey funeral.
The funeral of Sinn Fein man Francie McNally in early April saw ‘blatant’ breaches of law said policeThe funeral of Sinn Fein man Francie McNally in early April saw ‘blatant’ breaches of law said police
The funeral of Sinn Fein man Francie McNally in early April saw ‘blatant’ breaches of law said police

DUP MLA Trevor Clarke made the comments at the July meeting of the Policing Board in Belfast today, whilst Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly defended how the mass gathering in west Belfast on Tuesday has played out.

It took the best part of an hour before the Storey funeral came up for discussion; Mr Clarke was the one to raise it, quizzing Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd about the police response.

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ACC Todd said he has been in charge of policing “a number of high-profile funerals” during the Covid lockdown, and was “judging each on its own merits, gathering the evidence”.

As the News Letter has pointed out many times, the PSNI has still done nothing in terms acting against those involved in the first major republican funeral of the lockdown period: that of Francie McNally three months ago – despite police saying that there were “blatant” breaches of the law at it.

In the meantime, the police have handed fines out to people at barbecues and parties, and to Black Lives Matter demonstrators in Belfast and Londonderry.

ACC Todd said since the coronavirus regulations are very new, police lack “clarity” on how charges will play in court.

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Mr Clarke responded by saying that “if there’s nothing happens here that adds to the narrative of two-tier policing”.

He recalled that earlier during the lockdown the PSNI had blocked motorists from travelling to Portrush.

ACC Todd said that was because “going for a day trip” had been “contrary to the regulations as they existed at that point in time”.

He added that the emotion of a funeral can create “a situation people can’t necessarily control”, and the PSNI have to wonder if it is best to “inject” officers into such a scenario.

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Gerry Kelly said that he was at the Storey funeral, saying there were only 30 people in the cortege but that it was “impossible” to stop others attending.

“Every attempt was made to do it within the regulations,” he said, adding that it “might turn into a much more difficult situation” if police step in.

Mr Clarke concluded by saying “the police can’t turn a blind eye to this the way they’ve turned it to other things”.

Meanwhile DUP colleague Mervyn Storey said: “I had a friend who lives round the corner from me. I couldn’t attend his funeral. The law is the law. We’ve all been subject to those regulations.”

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