BLM protests: PSNI chief dubbed ‘a weak leader who should say sorry to frontline officers’

Jimmy Spratt, a former DUP MLA, is the latest person to speak out in the wake of a fiercely-critical report by the Police Ombudsman this week, which castigated the PSNI for its handling of two gatherings on June 6 – one in Belfast, one in Londonderry.

CLICK HERE: PSNI heavily criticised for actions at Black Lives Matter protests

CLICK HERE: PSNI chief constable accused of ‘rolling over’ in face of BLM criticism

That ombudsman’s report was followed instantly by a statement from Mr Byrne, in which he apologised to “members of the Black and Minority Ethnic Community” for the fact his officers had taken action against demonstrators, following repeated warnings.

Mr Spratt – who spent about a decade as vice-chairman of the Police Federation, and served for one year as its outright leader – noted that the Black Lives Matter (BLM) gatherings had come in the midst of a pandemic lockdown, and that “police at a national level were being criticised for not dealing with some of those protests”.

“And here we have the PSNI doing what they basically were asked to do by government... young police officers on the ground, supervisors some of them maybe not with terribly much service, doing their job after having seen the criticism others have been getting.

“And then they’re basically castigated.”

Ombudsman Marie Anderson had said police “failed to demonstrate regard” for the European Convention on Human Rights, which ensures freedom of expression and right to protest.

The twin June 6 protests had come after a major gathering of an estimated 2,000 people in Belfast on June 3, which police did little to counter.

They – along with the health minister, justice minister, and others – pleaded with organisers to call off the June 6 protests, warning that it could lead to fines or prosecutions.

Under the law at the time, gatherings of six or more people were banned, and travel was restricted.

SPRATT HITS OUT:

Mr Spratt’s view is that the ombudsman was “heavy handed” in her criticism.

He added: “And here we have a weak chief constable who comes out, at the drop of a hat, and apologises instead of commending his officers for carrying out their duties on the ground.

“That’s not to be a person of great credibility in terms of leadership.”

Some of the attendees at the protests (a small minority of whom carried signs likening police to pigs and bearing the slogan “All Cops Are “B*****ds”) were “basically leftie anarchists” he said.

He added: “As far as I’m concerned all lives matter – and that includes the lives of people who are trying to protect themselves from Covid...

“The chief constable needs to apologise to his officers.”

Mr Spratt’s comments were put to the PSNI press office.

Its response?

“Nothing further to add to the Chief Constable’s statement issued following the Ombudsman’s report.”

The BLM movement was formed in 2013, after what its leaders describe as “the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer” (a Latino-German man who was cleared of all charges after pleading he shot the black teenager in self-defence).

It intensified after the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a black man with repeat convictions for drugs offences and a violent armed robbery, who had been found in the driver’s seat of a car whilst high on methamphetamine and fentanyl, by a team of two white officers and two ethnic-minority officers.

He died after a white officer knelt on his neck for several minutes despite pleas from Floyd that he could not breathe; all four ex-officers now face criminal charges themselves over the incident.

As well as non-violent gestures of solidarity like “taking the knee”, the BLM movement has also spurred still-ongoing rioting across the USA, with demonstrators demanding the “defunding” and “abolition” of police.

POLICE FEDERATION RESPONSE:

When the Police Federation (the closest thing that officers have to a trade union) was asked to comment on the ombudsman’s report, it refused on the grounds that it was “an operational matter”.

Former federation boss Mr Spratt told the News Letter: “The bottom line is their officers, at the end of the day, depend on them to give them some sort of support, in terms of whenever they’re being unjustly criticised.

“I think they’re abdictaing their responsibilities in not commenting publicly, and I think that’ll go down very poorly amongst the rank and file officers – it certainly would’ve in my day, and it certainly under my watch wouldn’t have happened.”

Mr Spratt’s comments were put to the federation, but it said nothing.

However a day earlier it had responded to similar criticism by saying: “The suggestion that we would withhold criticism of any group or groups is utterly false.

“When issues concerning the welfare and wellbeing of our members are involved, we are front and centre, and that will remain our position.”

Further coverage:

Click here: Justice Minister Naomi Long silent over Black Lives Matter call to defund police and founders’ praise for wanted terror figure

Click here: ‘Thousands of Northern Irish people were murdered and their crimes are unsolved – their lives matter too’

Click here: Black Co Down clergyman: Having a grievance is no excuse for endangering people with mass protests

Click here: Bobby Storey funeral controversy – ‘Inconsistent’ police should quash our fines, says Black Lives Matter supporter

Click here: SDLP figures shy away from backing party colleague’s demand for PSNI to be condemned over George Floyd rally

Click here: Black Lives Matter advocate says DUP MP ‘must recognise his role in an overall system of anti-black oppression’

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.

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.

Alistair Bushe

Editor