PSNI Federation hit out at Policing Board

CaseyRyback

NI PolFed In Hard-Hitting Article On Policing Board

Release Date - 23 Feb 2011

The Policing Board's record in human rights is appallingly one-sided. Some members have yet to demonstrate that they understand police officers to have rights as well.

Their failure to protect officers was most noticeable following the July 2005 Ardoyne rioting which left 105 officers injured five of whom were subsequently medically discharged from the service. Despite the reservations of some members the Board cravenly accepted a report from its human rights advisers that the officers’ rights had been adequately regarded.

And the same suspect Board members also had no regard for the rights of officers when they procrastinated unacceptably over the introduction of tasers – the weapon which officers can deploy to subdue or disarm violent aggressors without recourse to a lethal firearm. The then exasperated Chief Constable, Sir Hugh Orde, exercised his operational independence and issued tasers selectively much to the annoyance of the Board.

“Policing Board should consider adopting a policy of letting only the Chairman speak for the Board – giving a lead to the public with a coherent and reasoned corporate view”

More recently we have had the human rights nonsense of whether or not the photographs of suspected rioters under the age of 18 should be published in local papers in an effort to bring them to justice. The Board says this should only happen” in exceptional circumstances”. By any normal definition of exceptional circumstances serious rioting with the objective of maiming or killing a police officer justifies the most exhaustive identification search.

When an off-duty officer intervened in a robbery at an Albertbridge filling station he was doing what he is legally obliged by police regulations – off-duty or on duty. It is unfortunate that once again there was a stampede by certain Board members to get on air with their erroneous facts and ill-disguised prejudices. Basil McCrae seemed unaware that the officer would not be suspended unless there was immediate evidence that he should be and Alex Maskey seemed equally unaware that the Police Ombudsman’s Office investigation would simply take precedence over a further criminal inquiry.

As for the media and much of the general public, they should note that such is the dissident threat police officers carry their personal weapons for their self protection. Secondly, too many people have seen Western cowboy movies and expect officers to disable attackers with miraculous shots to the leg or arm or, even more fancifully, to graze the attacker’s head so that he falls conveniently unconscious.

The Policing Board should consider adopting a policy of letting only the Chairman speak for the Board – giving a lead to the public with a coherent and reasoned corporate view instead of the present undignified and relentless pursuit of media opportunities by the political members.

The human rights of the police officers deserve more recognition from the Board and less naivety from the media and the public.

Source

d00gle74

Agree totally, I have no doubt some members of the Board are biased and unfortunately they are the most vocal! Media have their part to play, they dont want to hear about the hero police officer confronting a criminal off duty. Ticks me right off!