People Before Profit’s Gerry Carroll MLA has said the resignation of the PSNI Chief Constable is long overdue, but criticised the hypocrisy of political unionism over a litany of policing scandals.
“People Before Profit would shed no tears over Simon Byrne if he goes,” he said.
“Few would lament the exit of the head of an increasingly indefensible police force, but political unionism has clearly stirred the pot on this issue for their own political ends.
Where were the joint calls for the Chief Constable to resign when journalists uncovering state collusion in Loughinisland were arrested? There was no such chorus when the PSNI tried to censor a Police Ombudsmans’ report into the Sean Graham bookies massacre.
Members of the policing board made no resignation call over the PSNI’s mishandling of the Noah Donohoe investigation, or the attempt to criminalise his grieving family for protesting his case.
Political leaders had no problem backing Simon Byrne when the PSNI tried to prosecute Black Lives Matter activists or over its wholesale prejudice in policing minorities. Instances of sexism and domestic abuse stemming from the ranks of the PSNI were met with similar silence.
Policing board members and political parties routinely pick and choose which policing scandal offends them. Their hypocrisy is absurd.”