PSNI Chief Constable criticises 'unhelpful' online commentary over Lisburn incident involving autistic woman

The actions of officers was criticised by charities and politicians after a short clip of part of the incident at a Cex store was published on social media.

Addressing the issue at a meeting of the Policing Board, Jon Boucher criticised “selective posting” and said that having reviewed bodycam footage, CCTV and call records, nothing the officers did had caused him concern. He also revealed that one of the officers dealing with the incident had two autistic children themselves.

The PSNI boss praised the “compassionate and professional” response of the officers involved.

A young woman with autism and what the PSNI described as “complex needs” was removed from the store by a family member and police in December. She had been attempting to buy a DVD from the shop, having entered as the shutters were being brought down. Her family then called the police to de-escalate the situation. Police say they were there for around 20 minutes before the young woman was carried out by officers and her father.

A 15 second clip, posted online, appeared to show the young woman in some distress – and prompted a furious reaction from members of the public and politicians alike. Commentary from some MLAs was highly critical of the police. People Before Profit’s Gerry Carroll said it showed “horrendous police brutality” – while Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly said it was “absolutely shocking”.

Jon Burrows, a former head of the PSNI’s discipline branch, said the officers had faced “a social media pile-on that included politicians”.

“Once again, elected politicians rush to pass definitive judgments on honest and hardworking police officers based on one tiny clip from a social media video. The chief constable has made it clear that the officers acted with professionalism and compassion in an impossible situation. This is often the reality of frontline policing.

“It’s worth noting that the chief constable actually said one of the officers feared they were going to be suspended due to the backlash in the media. Ironically, when he revealed this, it was four years to the day since an innocent officer was unlawfully suspended following another outcry over a misleading video clip. Brave police officers shouldn’t live and work with such anxiety.

“Politicians claim they want to promote recruitment, yet they recklessly denigrate the integrity of police officers with statements like these. What kind of message does this send to our police officers.

“Not only do they damage morale and recruitment efforts, but they also potentially undermine the confidence of the people who need the help of the police”.

Mr Burrows said politicians and other commentators “should retract their statements and apologise to the officers”.

The incident is still under review by the Police Ombudsman.