Drumcree: Activist says she and other loyalists 'feel taken for mugs' by PSNI as group pens open letter to chief constable
An activist has said that loyalists feel they have been taken for “mugs” by the PSNI because of the way its top brass have reacted to the Drumcree standoff.
Stacey Graham made the comments to the News Letter as she circulated an open letter to the chief contable from the Greater Shankill and Ballysillan Policing Focus Group.
It said that “we cannot continue asking communities to engage with the PSNI and have confidence in policing when decisions at the highest level reinforce the belief that the law is not being applied equally”.
The letter was handed to police commanders yesterday and Mrs Graham, a member of the group Let’s Talk Loyalism who works for Alternatives Restorative Justice, e-mailed it out for public consumption this morning.
A response has been sought from the PSNI, and it told the News Letter: “This letter has been received and will be responded to in due course.”
Mrs Graham told the News Letter that the focus group is made up of about 20 to 25 people, including “community reps, politicians, peace workers, members of the clergy, people who have maybe been involved in community safety, and residents from different neighbourhoods”.
This includes “DUP reps and TUV reps”.
Asked if it involves paramilitaries, she said: “Oh no, not at all.”
The group formed after the Protocol protests of 2021 and has met with and lobbied senior police officers over the perception of “two-tier policing”.
She felt progress had been made on repairing the “fractured” relationship between loyalists and police in the Shankill / Ballysillan area, but now “we almost feel that we’ve been made mugs out of” in the wake of the Drumcree dispute.
She told the News Letter “we put our necks on the line” with the work that was done with the police (including things like encouraging youngsters to join the force) “and it just feels… it’s been thrown back in our face, almost”.
The letter she has circulated (also addressed to Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton) says: “The role our focus group has played in helping to keep people safe and encouraging our communities to remain peaceful must not be underestimated…
"This commitment should never be taken for granted.
"It is deeply concerning when the efforts of community representatives to maintain peace and build confidence are not matched by decisions at a strategic level that protect and strengthen that confidence.
"Our group cannot be expected to keep asking people to remain patient, peaceful and engaged if the concerns we raise are repeatedly left unanswered.”
It also poses five questions: “Why were the feelings of the Provisional IRA considered in the Drumcree decision-making, and what influence did this have?
"How were the reported threats involving firearms and petrol bombs assessed, and what steps were taken to protect parade participants and uphold their lawful rights?
"Why were the potential consequences for the Northern Ireland Executive and the peace process cited in support of intervention, and how was operational independence protected?
"How will the PSNI demonstrate that the same standards of impartiality and consistency apply across all communities?
"What concrete steps will the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable take to address the damage to confidence in policing?”
It adds that “we expect a substantive response to these concerns, not general assurances about impartiality”.