SDLP 'deeply concerned' police officers not facing stiffer sanctions over episode which it denounces as 'misogyny'
The SDLP has declared itself “deeply concerned” that officers involved in a recent Police Ombudsman case did not face stiffer sanctions.
The party also added its voice to Sinn Fein’s earlier claims that the incident which the ombudsman had investigated involved “misogyny”.
The ombudsman’s office published its report on October 27 into the highly-unusual incident in December 2022.
In it, a man set his phone to record audio, and was then placed under arrest (it was not made clear what for, or whether he was subsequently charged).
This meant he secretly recorded the private conversations of officers who had seized his phone.
The report said officers were then caught using “degrading” language.
The most severe example the ombudsman gave was “officers referred to a suspected victim of domestic violence as ‘mental’, possibly suffering from ‘post-natal depression’ and requiring hospitalisation”.
The Police Ombudsman recommended that the PSNI hold misconduct meetings with all four officers involved in the case (some of whom may have been female – this too is unclear).
However, the PSNI decided instead to hold a misconduct meeting with one officer and offer advice to the others.
The SDLP released a statement from South Down MLA Colin McGrath, in which he said: “I was deeply concerned to learn that in a recent case involving four officers investigated by the Police Ombudsman, only one will face a full misconduct hearing while the other three will instead face internal meetings.
"That decision risks sending entirely the wrong message about how seriously the PSNI takes violence against women and girls.
“The SDLP utterly condemns all forms of misogyny and violence against women.
"While the vast majority of officers will be appalled at this conduct, police must be seen to act firmly and transparently in such cases – anything less undermines public confidence.”
A similar statement had been issued earlier by Sinn Fein’s Linda Dillon, who had also voiced concern that stiffer sanctions had not followed for all the officers, saying: “This was inappropriate and misogynistic behaviour not befitting any public servant.”
In September, Mr McGrath had said there was an “urgent need for cultural change within the PSNI” after the ombudsman censured an officer for having a consensual sexual relationship a decade ago with a woman whom he had met when she reported accusations of domestic violence.
Pressed on what the pattern of behaviour was that showed a “need for cultural change” across the police, the SDLP did not answer.