Chief constable’s apology over Crossmaglen Twitter image

Simon Byrne has apologised for any offence caused by a photograph he posted online following a Christmas Day visit to officers in south Armagh.
Chief Constable Simon Byrne (centre) along with officers from Crossmaglen PSNIChief Constable Simon Byrne (centre) along with officers from Crossmaglen PSNI
Chief Constable Simon Byrne (centre) along with officers from Crossmaglen PSNI

The chief constable was widely criticised over the photograph which included two uniformed officers carrying semi-automatic rifles with large night vision sights.

Nationalist representatives claimed the image of “heavy weaponry” portrayed Crossmaglen as a Wild West-type frontier town.

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Mr Byrne’s message accompanying the photograph said: “On Christmas morning great to meet the team policing Crossmaglen @PSNINMDown. I take my hat off to colleagues policing such a unique part of @PoliceServiceNI. Their sense of duty & optimism is inspiring. Stay safe and thank you.”

The message was later described by SDLP councillor Pete Byrne as an apparent attempt to “set Crossmaglen and south Armagh as a place apart,” while Sinn Fein’s Conor Murphy branded the picture “utterly unacceptable”.

Following separate meetings with both the SDLP and Sinn Fein, the chief constable issued a statement saying he has “reflected at length” on his tweet.

The statement, issued on Tuesday afternoon, said: “My tweet on Christmas Day was never meant as a comment on the community of Crossmaglen and South Armagh Area and I am sorry for any offence that has been caused.

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“I have reflected on the issue at length and have had many conversations with both colleagues and external stakeholders, up to and including a number of meetings with elected representatives yesterday and today.”

Mr Byrne added: “Since taking up the post of Chief Constable, I have been looking at the visibility, accessibility and responsiveness of policing right across Northern Ireland. As part of that ongoing work, I have commissioned a review of policing in South Armagh. The review will involve local officers, elected representatives and the local community.

“I am really proud of the local officers, who working together with local people, have made so much progress for policing and the community in recent years. It is only by working together that we will continue to make progress.”

The original photograph was, as of 6pm on Tuesday (Jan 7), still appearing on the chief constable’s Twitter page. The tweet attracted almost 600 comments.