Chief Constable defends 'operational independence' after leaked reprimand from Naomi Long's top official

In leaked correspondence, seen by the News Letter, the justice department’s permanent secretary Hugh Widdis wrote to Mr Boutcher suggesting he had undermined the authority of the minister and the wider executive, by outlining to the prime minister the financial and staffing issues facing the force.

The official also warned Mr Boutcher about “protocols which must be followed” and highlighted other instances where the department had reprimanded him.

It has led to a deluge of criticism from other parties – with the DUP, UUP, TUV and SDLP all condemning the letter and questioning the minister’s position on the matter.

However, Naomi Long has said the controversial letter was “entirely appropriate” given the permanent secretary’s role as an accounting officer – and expressed regret that the “private correspondence” had been leaked.

The row comes amid a deteriorating relationship between the PSNI and the department of justice in particular, with police staffing far below target levels and wider budget pressures.

Stormont ministers have repeatedly blamed London for budget shortfalls in Northern Ireland, so the PSNI seeking a solution from the national government is logical. On Monday the chief constable said policing here has “two masters” and is therefore falling between the cracks – while the Police Federation claimed Stormont is a major part of the problem facing policing in the province.

In a statement to the News Letter, Mr Boutcher said: “I am the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and my role is to deliver an effective policing service for all communities in Northern Ireland. This must be delivered with operational independence having regard to my Accounting Officer obligations of which I am very well aware”.

Mr Boutcher’s use of the term “operational independence” is being seen as a dig at the justice minister, who often uses the phrase when distancing herself from issues facing the police or other arms length bodies under her department’s purview. It is also a rebuke to the thrust of Mr Widdis’s letter.

Stormont’s opposition leader Matthew O’Toole, posting on X, said “What makes this so bizarre is that the Justice Minister never stops telling the Assembly that policing isn’t her responsibility. So why is her Department telling the Chief Constable who he can and can’t write to?”.

Liam Kelly, chair of the Police Federation, told BBC Radio Ulster’s Nolan Show that the “tone and tenor of the letter was disgraceful” – calling it a “crude attempt to put the chief constable firmly back in his box”.

“This is about power, and exerting power. And making sure that the chief constable was fully aware of where the power lies”, he said.

Describing the letter as “petty”, the police federation leader said some people in the Stormont government “are more interested in protocol and processes than actually fixing the problems”.

Stormont parties turn on Naomi Long

​Political opponents have rounded on the Alliance leader over her department’s reprimanding the chief constable – labelling the move “egotism” and “appalling in content and tone”.

DUP ​Chair of the Assembly’s Justice Committee Joanne Bunting said “it would be remiss” of the Chief Constable if he didn’t raise funding issues with the Prime Minister.

“Given the tone of the letter sent by Mr Widdis and the reference to respect for the role of Ministers, it would seem logical to assume the Justice Minister was aware of its content and supported it being sent to the Chief Constable.

“Unless she now states otherwise, it would be useful then to hear from the Justice Minister exactly what her opposition to the Chief Constable’s actions are, beyond a focus on protocol and position. This is not the time to be more focused on ego and position than on the impact of underfunding on policing”, she said.

The East Belfast MLA added: “Similarly, the Finance Minister should clarify her position and whether she feels that a wider spectrum of voices are unhelpful in highlighting the needs of Northern Ireland.”

Doug Beattie, who stood down as UUP leader this week, said the letter was “appalling”.

He told the BBC’s Nolan Show that Jon Boutcher has “no choice but to recruit and in recruiting he's going to be over budget”.

“If the Department of Justice won't do something about it, I don't know who will fight his corner,” he said.

“The budget he has been given is unworkable and people need to know that”.

TUV leader Jim Allister commented on the original News Letter story on X, saying: “What an insight into the egotism and priorities of the minister and the executive - the ‘authority of ministers’ matters above the necessary funding for the PSNI. It’s because the executive has failed that the Chief Constable is writing to the PM!”

SDLP Policing Board member Mark H Durkan said: “The letter sent to the Chief Constable is astounding and appalling in content and tone”. He added: “Instead of picking fights with the police about who should send letters to whom”, the Executive should be working together to address the funding crisis.

Naomi Long doubles down on letter

Justice minister Naomi Long says the letter from her permanent secretary Hugh Widdis was “entirely appropriate” given his role as an accounting officer – and expressed regret that the “private correspondence” had been leaked.

​Her comments came after a chorus of criticism from political rivals – except Sinn Fein whose finance department was consulted on the letter.

On Thursday morning the News Letter first reported the letter from Mrs Long’s permanent secretary Hugh Widdis to the chief constable – which suggested Jon Boutcher had undermined the authority of the minister.

In a statement the justice minister said “the Permanent Secretary in any department is the Principal Accounting Officer for that department. This carries with it responsibility for ensuring the regularity and propriety of departmental expenditure, for promoting value for money and for ensuring there are robust systems of corporate governance and financial control within the Department including living within the budgetary controls set by the Assembly.

“The Department of Justice Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer, Hugh Widdis, recently wrote to the Chief Constable in relation to his role as accounting officer for the PSNI. Such correspondence is entirely appropriate, and it is regrettable that private correspondence has since been leaked.

“The substantive issue, however, is the underfunding of the justice system, which I have been consistently raising. As a result, the PSNI is under resourced, and officers and staff are under extraordinary pressure due to falling numbers. Whilst that pressure is significant even when things are calm, it is compounded when there is unrest such as we witnessed over recent weeks, in which officers were injured whilst keeping our communities safe.

"The position the PSNI are in now is as a direct result of budgets being continually squeezed over many years. I fully support the call for additional funding, and I met with the Chief Constable last week to discuss how we can jointly maximise our ability to secure more resources. I have also raised the need for more investment with the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister”.

What the letter from the department of justice said

In his letter to Mr Boutcher, the justice permanent secretary said that while he appreciated the “commitment and determination” of the PSNI boss in lobbying for extra funding for the service, “there are certain protocols which must be followed when engaging with the UK government on matters of funding”.

He said this was necessary to “respect the constitutional arrangements in NI and, in particular, the authority of ministers in a devolved government”.

The letter was written in “consultation” with the Sinn Fein-run Department of Finance.

It said that any funding bids should be made to the Treasury via the Department of Finance “following engagement with the Department of Justice”.

Mr Widdis said “it is my view that you have acted outside the well-established financial protocols that are in place for Accounting Officers in Northern Ireland”.

He then listed two previous occasions on which the Department of Justice had written to the chief constable about comments he had made about PSNI finances.

The justice permanent secretary continued: “I fully acknowledge the challenges facing the PSNI an want to reassure you that the justice minister and indeed the NI Executive are committed to continuing to press the Treasury for a fair funding package” – adding that “any requests for additional funding will require a full robust business case and must follow the due process”.

The chief constable’s response also said: “I have and will continue to work with all stakeholders involved in the difficult challenges of police funding including, the Northern Ireland Executive, First Minster, Deputy First Minister, Justice Minister and Westminster to ensure the Police Service of Northern Ireland has the funding necessary to deliver the policing the people of Northern Ireland are entitled to while at the same time providing for the health and wellbeing of our police officers and police staff. I am sure we are all committed to this endeavour.”