Officials withdrawn by DUP from Irish Sea border checks still not back – despite chief constable saying he has no evidence they face credible threat

Almost a week after a DUP minister withdrew officials from manning the Irish Sea border because of a threat, they have still not returned – despite the police saying that threat is not credible.
The officials were withdrawn by Edwin Poots last Monday nightThe officials were withdrawn by Edwin Poots last Monday night
The officials were withdrawn by Edwin Poots last Monday night

Last Monday night the then DUP minister Edwin Poots withdrew staff from Larne and Belfast ports just hours before he left office to receive cancer treatment and he was replaced by party colleague Gordon Lyons.

Last Thursday, senior civil servants revealed at a Stormont committee that Mr Poots took the decision based on his own security assessment of graffiti describing border staff as “targets” and conversations with other “stakeholders” even though the police had not said there was any evidence of a serious threat to the workers’ lives.

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This morning, PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne said that he has no credible evidence of a threat against DAERA staff.

When asked by Stephen Nolan if he was aware of any credible threats on any staff in Belfast or Larne port, the Chief Constable replied “No we weren’t. We didn’t have that credible information you talk about”.

Mr Byrne added that “people outside the purview of policing have made their own decisions in relation to their workforce and we’ve worked with them to reassure there wasn’t a credible threat and they’re now back at work”.

He said that the police would give their advice “and what others do is a matter for them in terms of their responsibilities to their employees...what the minister did is a matter for him and he has to stand by his decision.”

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On Friday evening, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council – which also withdrew its staff from Larne Port last Monday – sent those workers back tot he port.

This morning the News Letter asked Mr Lyons’ department, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) whether its staff who were withdrawn last week had returned to work.

A spokesman from DAERA said: “The Department has received the findings of the formal threat assessment from the PSNI and is currently considering it alongside its own internal risk assessment. Any decision to recommence full checks will be informed by both documents.”

It is now clear that despite the threatening graffiti DAERA only withdrew some of its staff – leaving others in place to continue operating the border checks.

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The News Letter asked DAERA staff how many of its staff had remained in post and whether the department’s most senior official, permanent secretary Denis McMahon, had requested a ministerial direction from the minister to order him to keep staff away from their posts.

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