Police Federation: Memorials are sacred to memory of brave men and women who paid ultimate price

A statement from Mark Lindsay, Chair of the Police Federation
By Mark Lindsay
Published 4th Sep 2021, 03:13 BST
Updated 4th Sep 2021, 03:19 BST
June 24, 1998: A lone RUC man surveys the rubble after a huge INLA car bomb wrecked the village of Newtownhamilton in south Armagh; the bomb went off as police were clearing the areaJune 24, 1998: A lone RUC man surveys the rubble after a huge INLA car bomb wrecked the village of Newtownhamilton in south Armagh; the bomb went off as police were clearing the area
June 24, 1998: A lone RUC man surveys the rubble after a huge INLA car bomb wrecked the village of Newtownhamilton in south Armagh; the bomb went off as police were clearing the area

Hearing the suggestions that [the removal of] memorials to murdered colleagues in Crossmaglen PSNI station, and elsewhere, are not to be taken forward will come as a relief to relatives.

Frankly, it should never have got to this stage.

Had we been consulted, we’d have told the Chief Constable and senior officers that these memorial plaques should not have formed part of this review into policing in south Armagh.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Memorials are sacred to the memory of those brave men and women who paid the ultimate price serving all our communities and there should never be any attempt to airbrush them from our history.

This has been an unmitigated media disaster for the PSNI where mixed messaging has caused confusion, upset and hurt.

All of this upset could so easily have been avoided had the Service properly consulted and sought our corporate view instead of adopting a solo-run.

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) has deep concerns around the entire consultation exercise associated with this report.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We note with dismay the fact that the PFNI was not consulted, while other groups and organisations were.

Unfortunately, this leads us to the conclusion that the PSNI wanted a pre-determined outcome and deliberately chose not to engage or consult with this organisation which represents the officers who would be directly affected.

Mark Lindsay MBE, Chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry

Acting Editor

Related topics:PSNIBen Lowry