Policing Board drops public meeting as PSNI Chief Constable faces no-confidence vote
Ruling Controversy Has A Mcburney/pa) Over Court Service Of Chief Simon High Constable Liam Following A Refused (picture: To Northern Police Resign Byrne Ireland
A public meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board has been cancelled as the PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne faces a motion of no-confidence in his leadership.
The board will instead hold a special meeting later on Monday to allow members to discuss the latest controversy which has rocked the police force.
A row erupted last week when High Court judge Mr Justice Scoffield ruled that two junior officers were unlawfully disciplined for an arrest made at a Troubles commemoration event in 2021.
The judge said they had been disciplined to allay a threat that Sinn Féin could withdraw its support for policing. Sinn Féin has insisted there was no such threat.
Mr Byrne insisted that he would not resign following an emergency meeting of the Policing Board on Thursday and indicated that he was considering an appeal against the court ruling.
That statement was met by anger from the Police Federation, with its chair Liam Kelly expressing “disbelief and anger” at the Chief Constable’s statement.
Mr Byrne has since been facing growing pressure, with both rank and file officers and civilian staff considering confidence votes in his leadership.
On Friday, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson confirmed that his party had submitted a motion of no-confidence in Mr Byrne to the board, which is the oversight body for the PSNI.
Mr Donaldson said: “Confidence in the Chief Constable has been eroded, both amongst the wider public but, significantly, also amongst serving PSNI officers and staff.
“In light of that, we believe that a change of leadership is required.”
The Policing Board had been scheduled to hold its monthly public session on Thursday, but a spokesperson said that had now been cancelled.
The spokesperson said all meetings this week would be “dedicated to dealing with the situation at hand”.
Mr Byrne is expected to appear before an evidence session of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
The committee is investigating a major PSNI data breach last month.
Personal data on all serving members of the PSNI was mistakenly published in response to a freedom of information request.
Details of around 10,000 PSNI officers and staff included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit they work in.
The PSNI has confirmed the list is in the hands of dissident republicans, who continue to target officers.
A number of other data breaches have since come to light, including the loss of a police officer’s laptop and notebook which contained details of 42 officers and members of staff after the items fell from a moving vehicle.