West Belfast diffing: 'The same politicians who are criticising police inaction also attack them when they do act'
The leader of the UUP has warned that heavy criticism of the police is having a “chill effect” on officers, hampering their willingness to act.
Former senior policeman Jon Burrows said that both a political “rush to judgment” and the “extreme” scrutiny of the Police Ombudsman are preventing officers from responding “dynamically” when confronted with law-breaking.
He was reacting to Sinn Fein figures blaming the PSNI after a group of “differs” – young people in souped-up cars and scramblers burning their tyres and performing dangerous stunts – converged on the Stewartstown Road in west Belfast on Monday night.
When police did move in, the PSNI vehicles were bricked, kicked, and beaten, leading to officers being injured and vehicles put out of service.
West Belfast Sinn Fein MLA Danny Baker said afterwards that he was “angry and sad” about a lack of “preventive measures from the PSNI”.
"They didn't listen and failed in their duties,” he said, dubbing it “shameful and unacceptable".
Later on, he added on Facebook: “Those who brought cars and motorbikes to our community are to blame, but our community deserved better from the PSNI.”
Sinn Fein MP for the area Paul Maskey said he and Mr Baker have since “reflected to the PSNI the deep frustration and anger felt across the Colin community after the chaotic and disgraceful scenes”, adding “Sinn Fein will continue to hold all relevant agencies to account and ensure our community receives the level of service it deserves”.
Mr Burrows, the former PSNI head of discipline, has now told the News Letter: “The PSNI should be given the opportunity to outline what information it had, what resources were available, and what other demands for policing they had at the same time.
"Too often, politicians rush to judgment instead of awaiting the facts.
“However, there are operational realities that hinder an effective response to these incidents - including the fact that the police are often attacked when they turn up, the vehicle in question makes off at speed, and the driver fails to stop.
“There is an underlying issue we need to be honest about, and which I have warned about for years.
“PSNI officers are subject to extreme and often protracted scrutiny by the Police Ombudsman and intense criticisms by some political representatives.
“This has created a culture of risk aversion where many officers worry about being disciplined and losing their livelihoods for just being proactive and decisively intervening in some incidents.
"We need to ensure our officers not only have the tactics to intervene in situations such as this but also the backing.
"The politicians that slam the police for being heavy-handed or causing problems are the ones who create the chill effect to the same officers intervening dynamically in situations.”
The PSNI had said officers had attended and noted the “dangerous driving” on display, and that a Tactical Support Group unit, which had been on deployment in another district, was dispatched to the area.
They said: “A fire was started and colleagues from Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service were attacked when they tried to respond, leading to their withdrawal from the area.
"Five police vehicles were damaged and two officers sustained injury.”
West Belfast District Commander Chief Inspector Kelly Gibson added: “We acknowledge local concern around this incident and will continue to engage with representatives and residents in order to help prevent further instances of this behaviour."
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