Police Ombudsman reports ‘inexcusable’ and ‘lacking substantive evidence’

As he announced his decision to retire after seven years in the post, and more than 34 years’ police service, Mark Lindsay defended the collective reputation of the Troubles-era officers he said paid a high price for their commitment to peace-keeping.

“I have real concerns about the tone of many of the reports,” he said.

“If police officers committed criminal offences we need to see reports going to the PPS, but I think in the absence of that, it is inexcusable for a public body to be making comments around something when there is absolutely no substantive evidence of what they are saying happened.”

In a statement on Thursday, Mr Lindsay notes that he is the first PFNI chairman in its 51-year history “not to have to follow the coffins of colleagues murdered in the line of duty”.

Just days after police ombudsman Marie Anderson issued a report on a series of loyalist murders in south Belfast, concluding that police were involved in “collusive behaviours” with paramilitaries, Mr Lindsay said: “I think the reports leave a lot to be desired. They are contributing to not only hurt to many families, but also undermining policing in this current day.

“There is no context around what was happening. There is also no context, factually, of what was being done to address some of those issues that were raised at the time.

“I joined the police whenever we had the Troubles and there were police officers and people being murdered by paramilitaries left, right and centre. They were very difficult times to police in, I think the context of which has been forgotten in much of the rhetoric and the reports of today.

“You can’t say now that this was some organisational conspiracy, and I would have some real issues with that because certainly I never joined the police to be involved in anything like that, and neither did I see any evidence of it in the years I was serving.”

Mr Lindsay also said that wider Troubles legacy issues, as well as a lack of unequivocal support for the PSNI, are “poisoning our society”.

He said: “There seems to be a considered campaign to deconstruct the contribution that policing made” to bring us to a more peaceful society.

He added: “We have different bodies and different people who are pushing different agendas, but not looking at it in a balanced way – not looking at it in the proper context of those times, and I think that is very, very sad.

“It is actually leading to more hurt and to more division than we had even 25 years ago. That saddens me greatly.”

Responding to Mr Lindsay’s comments, a spokesman for Ms Anderson said: “The police ombudsman notes Mr Lindsay’s service with the police federation and thanks him for his constructive engagement with her office to improve policing for everyone in Northern Ireland.

“She disagrees with his analysis of her Public Statements, which give detailed reasons for her findings, but she wishes him well in his retirement.”

Mark Lindsay has been outspoken on a number of issues during his tenure as PFNI chairman, including the fall-out from the Bobby Storey funeral and government plans for dealing with the legacy of the Troubles.

Mr Lindsay will remain in office until the spring. His successor will be elected prior to his retirement.

He said: “I feel genuinely privileged to have served as a police officer since 1987 and subsequently as chair of the PFNI. I am proud to represent officers from across our society and those who have joined through the many different routes into policing.

“Our society is more diverse than ever and as policing strives to be more representative of our communities, we all need to work hard to realise that it is not just as straight forward as our traditionally viewed binary society based on religious background.”

Mr Lindsay said he leaves “a legacy of an organisation that is well equipped to deal with new and emerging challenges”.

When the government revealed plans for a statute of limitations on Troubles-era crimes – widely regarded as an effective amnesty that would benefit former terrorists – Mr Lindsay said the police family did “not want a line drawn in the sand”.

Three years ago, he said: “We most assuredly do not want to see the brave actions of our officers equated with those who brought so much heartache and misery to innocent people, including the families of our 302 officers who were murdered and the thousands who were maimed and left with life-changing physical and psychological conditions.

“Those, and thousands of other officers, delivered the peace we enjoy today. They deserve better than this shambolic and disgraceful attempt to re-write history.”

Commenting on the current state of policing, against a backdrop of budget cuts and a failure to hire the 7,500 officers recommended in the Patton Report, Mr Lindsay said: “To withdraw almost £200 million out of policing over the next three years is nothing short of a societal scandal.

“It will be catastrophic for policing and it will deconstruct, and destroy, much of the good work that has been done over the past 20 years, but there is very little concept of the consequences of that.”

He said it will be the police who will be held accountable for the resultant failings, “even though they are not being properly funded to do their job”.

READ: Police Federation chairman stepping down after seven years

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