Warm words for George Hamilton ... but speculation about future struggles of police

Attention will now turn to who will replace George Hamilton when his five-year tenure ends at the end of June, after the 51-year-old declined to accept a three-year extension to his £203,400-per-year role.

Mr Hamilton’s exit will be three months after Brexit, which he has warned could pose problems for his force.

And whilst politicians of varying stripes wished him well, some reflected on both the controversies of his career and the struggles which will now face his successor.

In a statement, Mr Hamilton said: “Our society today is a much more peaceful and progressive society than it was when I joined policing... there is no doubt there are challenges in the months and years ahead, but we’ve overcome greater challenges in the past”.

When it comes to reasons for leaving the statement said only: “Having thought long and carefully, I have decided that it is the right time for both me and the PSNI that I retire from policing in June 2019.”

BBC NI reported the move “followed discussions with his wife and four children over the Christmas period” and that he told the Policing Board it was “to spend more time with his family” – though the PSNI would not go beyond its official statement when asked.

The Police Federation, representing rank-and-file officers, hailed his “sterling service” in hard financial times.

DUP MLA Mervyn Storey, a member of the Policing Board which will appoint his successor, hailed him for having “served the people” over many “turbulent years”.

But he added: “There continues to be pressure on police resources, in particular the number of officers...

“Resolving how the past is dealt with in Northern Ireland will continue to be a huge challenge. There is a focus on the 10% of killings attributed to the state, but this should not overshadow the 90% of deaths at the hands of terrorist groups.”

Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly, also on the Policing Board, said Mr Hamilton showed he was able “to listen to criticism” and “outreach to all sections of the community”.

Under Mr Hamilton, the PSNI last June halted the sale of a trio of stations – Warrenpoint, Castlederg and Aughnacloy – as a “precautionary step” on Brexit.

In a Sunday Times interview last September Mr Hamilton spoke of security, and the impact of Brexit on border smuggling, saying: “We can make the sensible assumption violent dissident republican groupings and organised criminals will seek to exploit that. It’s already tricky enough policing that high-threat border.”

This month reports emerged that 1,000 GB police were being trained as potential post-Brexit reinforcements for Northern Ireland.

DUP MLA Jim Wells (currently serving without the party whip), in the border constituency of South Down, said of his departure: “There’s so much going on at the moment. It does seem unusual timing, and I’d have thought maybe a six month extension – which I’m sure the Policing Board would’ve been more than happy to agree – would’ve been appropriate.”

Whilst Brexit may not bring the “civil unrest” mooted by some commentators, there could be technical issues like the ending of EU access to computer databases which may benefit from “continuity”.

For Mr Wells the “low point” for Mr Hamilton was allowing uniformed officers on gay pride marches alongside Land Rovers in rainbow colours, saying it “compromised the impartiality of the PSNI”, linking it to demands to legalise gay marriage.

TUV leader Jim Allister said: “I’m sure the Chief Constable did his best. One of his failings was that he allowed himself, either of his own volition of as a tool for others, to engage in some political meddling – not least on Brexit.

“I felt some of his comments were very politically-loaded and directed in an anti-Brexit direction, which is not something a chief of police should be engaging in at all.”

The Policing Board will consider his replacement on February 6, when it meets for the first time in two years after being in limbo due to the Stormont impasse.

When it comes to post-Brexit policing, Mr Allister said: “He’s going to leave it to someone else. It’ll be interesting to see who the someone else is.”