PSNI officers 'failed by those who lead them over Sean sectarianism allegations'

Meanwhile the DUP has also said there must be a "clear statement" from police that the allegations are not being accepted.

The PSNI has re-iterated its insistence that it has nothing further to say on the matter.

It all relates to the case of 'Sean', the anonymous former member of the Tactical Support Group (TSG, largely known as the PSNI’s riot squad) who alleged he encountered "a raft of experiences of sectarianism within the PSNI".

The allegations were made in the Belfast Telegraph on March 8; in that article, Sean said he did not pursue complaints about it because he did not want to be "ostracised" and "I'll maybe be with these boys in a riot line in a couple of hours".

His examples included people whistling The Sash, swearing at politicians "from the green side" when they came on TV, making derogatory comments about him wearing ash on Ash Wednesday, and "hearing boys saying 'fenian b******s, who do they think they are'?"

In the same article, deputy chief constable Bobby Singleton was quoted as saying that the behaviour outlined by Sean "is disgraceful and has no place whatsoever in the PSNI... [I] accept that there have been instances where the biases and prejudice that exist within our society have manifest in our workplace".

Some 43 former colleagues of Sean later wrote a letter saying "there was no sectarian culture in our team", that "the allegations are categorically untrue", and "not only should those accused be afforded the presumption of innocence, but it is perverse to give equal weight to one anonymous complainant as to dozens of rebuttals".

At the Policing Board on May 8, chief constable Jon Boutcher said he had met Sean and he "was offered an independent chief executive inspector to examine the issues and investigate, which he he decided that didn't need to happen".

He said "I've no concerns that the blacks, the officers, his colleagues, acted in a sectarian way towards him," but also stressed that Sean was a "decent, decent man".

The chief constable also announced an anonymous survey of officers this autumn, to be carried out with the help of staff "support networks", to gather people's experiences of prejudice within the force.

The TUV's Timothy Gaston has now spoken out about the PSNI's handling of the affair, saying that in the wake of Sean's allegations "senior officers rushed to condemn unnamed colleagues".

"The Deputy Chief Constable described Sean’s experiences as 'disgraceful' while the Chief Constable praised him as a 'thoroughly decent man'," he said.

"Such remarks, made in the absence of due process, have cast an unfair shadow over the many dedicated officers who served with honour and professionalism."

The affair raises "serious questions about the judgment and impartiality of current PSNI leadership".

Mr Gaston said: "It is now incumbent upon the PSNI to restore public confidence by upholding the principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability.

"Leadership must never allow one-sided allegations to stand unchallenged. TUV will continue to stand up for those within the PSNI who are being failed by the very people tasked with leading them.”

And a statement from DUP Policing Board member Trevor Clarke said: "The confusion surrounding this bizarre incident has benefitted no-one.

"Neither the PSNI as an organisation nor individual officers serving in the TSG or elsewhere should have their integrity damaged by allegations that apparently have not been followed through with any formal complaint.

"In such circumstances there needs to be a clear statement that will not allow allegations to become somehow accepted as fact.”