Chief constable slammed over response to 'Sean' sectarianism claims as silence goes on
Claims of sectarianism in the PSNI, made by an anonymous officer who then seemed to drop them, is perhaps the most damaging episode in local policing history a senior ex policeman has said.
Jon Burrows has written a scathing essay on the PSNI leadership’s handling of the saga, in which the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher described the man who made the claims – identified only by a pseudonym of ‘Sean’ – a “thoroughly decent man” who gave exemplary police service.
Mr Burrows, a former head of PSNI discipline, writing in today’s News Letter, says: “This made no sense. Sean had made the most serious and explicit allegations of sectarianism against his colleagues. If they did not happen, then Sean made up horrendous allegations against the chief constable’s own officers for which no apology had been offered. How is that thoroughly decent conduct?”
Mr Burrows also writes: “Despite the red flags in Sean’s testimony that should have raised immediate concerns about the veracity of his account there are no official rebuttals. The [unit] in question is one of the most exemplary teams in the PSNI, renowned for being highly professional and community sensitive.”
He said that he investigated and dismantled the claims after they were first published in the Belfast Telegraph.
Mr Burrows said that he carried out that examination of Sean's claims with retired officers who “are a diverse group of men and women with exemplary service records" and they bore no scrutiny.
The News Letter today pressed the police for more information about the case after it declined to comment earlier in the week.
It was asked if it wanted to respond to retired police officer Jim Gamble, who has said that if Sean’s allegations of sectarianism against the Tactical Support Group (TSG) turn out to be “unsubstantiated,” then members of the unit must be given “a route to redress”.
It was also asked whether the chief constable knew that Sean was still considering potential legal action against the force, and about whether its decision to launch an anonymous internal survey of staff in the autumn, asking if they have encountered sectarianism, racism, sexism, or similar, was influenced by the Sean affair.
No response had been received at time of writing.
Sean alleged in March that he encountered anti-Catholic bigotry in the unit, including someone using the words “fenian b******s”.
Many of Sean’s former colleagues have strongly denied any sectarianism within the unit, writing in the News Letter of their shock and confusion at hearing the allegations.
The issue came to the fore again last week when the PSNI chief constable told the Policing Board that, having now met Sean, “I've no concerns that the blacks [his TSG unit], the officers, his colleagues, acted in a sectarian way towards him”, adding that “I cannot explain the article in the newspaper" (where Sean made his allegations).
The chief constable also stressed repeatedly that Sean is a “thoroughly decent” man.
Jon Burrows, the former head of PSNI discipline, has since insisted that clarity on the matter is needed; he writes in today’s News Letter that “the TSG in question is one of the most exemplary teams in the PSNI” yet they must “carry on working with a dark cloud hanging over them” due to Sean’s accusations.
Kevin Winters, Sean’s solicitor, has been quoted as saying that Sean stands over his allegations.
He has told the News Letter that a court case for damages against the force over the issue has not been “dropped”, but rather that a decision on it has been “deferred” for now.
Mr Gamble, a former senior RUC Special Branch officer who later led the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command, said: “It is important that all allegations against the police are properly investigated.”
He added that “if and when damaging allegations are found to be unsubstantiated,” then “the facts must be made clear and defamed officers must have a route to redress”.
Norman Baxter, a former detective chief superintendent who served from 1980 to 2008, said of Sean’s allegations: “I served for almost 30 years and I never witnessed that – sectarianism, as in a direct sectarian attack on any colleague. There wouldn't be any tolerance for it, so I don't understand how there would be tolerance this last 10 years or so.”
On the chief constable’s judgment that he does not believe Sean was the victim of sectarianism, Mr Baxter said: “I think the chief constable wouldn't have said that unless he was 100% certain it doesn't stack up … we should respect his judgment."
He added that “any accusation that the force is not a welcoming place for anyone is damaging”.