‘Pose GAA question to PSNI officers or don’t ask at all’: Alex Easton

The PSNI should either require officers to declare membership of the GAA or stop recording how many officers are in the Orange Order, a DUP MLA has said.
By Mark Rainey
Published 1st Sep 2020, 16:06 BST
PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne at a meeting with Ulster GAA officials in January this year.PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne at a meeting with Ulster GAA officials in January this year.
PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne at a meeting with Ulster GAA officials in January this year.

Alex Easton has described the current requirement as “unbalanced” and “unfair,” and has called on the chief constable to ensure that “everyone is treated in the same way” when they join the PSNI.

In response to a Freedom of Information request from Mr Easton, the PSNI confirmed that 101 serving officers are members of the Orange Order, and that “the PSNI does not require officers to declare membership of the GAA”.

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The North Down assemblyman said: “I am very surprised and disappointed after receiving the information from a FOI requested that finds that the PSNI are only interested in their members declaring an interest in being member of the Orange Order as they are Protestants. I find this to be odd as PSNI members do not have to declare an Interest in equivalent organisations such as the GAA.

“I am not concerned as to whom or what organisations PSNI officers are members of, as long as they are legal organisations. However I find it astonishing that the PSNI are only interested in those PSNI officers who are members of the Orange Order and feel that those members are being unfairly highlighted and potentially discriminated against because they are Protestants by ask for this sort of Information.”

Mr Easton added: “There is no room for an unbalanced approach by the PSNI on such issues and the PSNI have a clear responsibility to do one of two things to address this unfair, discriminatory practice with its members – by either ensuring that PSNI officer should declare an interest in the GAA...or end the practice of PSNI officers having to declare themselves as members of the Orange Order.

“The PSNI has a duty of care to all its officers to be fair, equal and balanced and to be impartial, and by not resolving this issue it shows this is not the case, The chief constable must now act to prove that everyone is treated in the same way when they join the PSNI”

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Previous Freedom of Information answers show that in 2009 there were 118 Orange Order members, 89 in 2016 and 101 in the latest set of figures. One officer declared membership of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in 2020.

A PSNI spokeswoman said the chief constable has a statutory obligation “to require each police officer to inform him of any notifiable membership that the police officer believes they have,” if membership of the organisation in question “might reasonably be regarded as affecting the officer’s ability to discharge their duties effectively and impartially”.

The spokeswoman added: “In addition, if a police officer believes that they have no notifiable memberships, they are also required to notify the chief constable of that belief.”

The requirement for PSNI officers to declare membership of certain organisations was introduced in 2000.

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The list, which the PSNI has said is not exhaustive, includes:

• Ancient Order of Hibernians

• Apprentice Boys of Derry

• Grand Order of Freemasons

• Independent Orange Order

• Knights of St Columbanus

• Loyal Orange Order

• Royal Black Preceptory

PSNI chief constable ‘looking forward’ to attending GAA game

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