The body which represents rank-and-file police officers in Northern Ireland has unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in the Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton, as the fallout continues following the resignation of the Chief Constable earlier this week.
The move calls into question Mr Hamilton’s position, with the Ulster Unionist MLA, Mike Nesbitt, telling the BBC on Wednesday evening the senior officer had no choice but to resign.
“I can’t see how a person in that position, being faced with a vote of no confidence, a unanimous vote, from the Federation, can survive,” Mr Nesbitt said.
In a statement issued following a lengthy extraordinary meeting on Wednesday, the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) said it had unanimously voted to express no confidence in Mr Hamilton and also had no confidence in two other senior officers, the Chief Operating Officer Pamela McCreedy and the Assistant Chief Officer Clare Duffield.
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The chair of the federation, Liam Kelly, also said there was a need for “urgent clarification” over whether the PSNI would continue with its intention to appeal a court ruling which found action taken against two junior officers was unlawful.
Mr Hamilton, who is currently acting chief constable following Mr Byrne’s departure, had been due to attend Wednesday’s meeting but was unable to do so due to an “unplanned medical procedure”, a PSNI spokesperson said.
Mr Byrne resigned on Monday following a series of controversies, including an “unprecedented” data leak which the revealed personal and employment details of every police officer and member of civilian staff, and the judicial review into the disciplining of two junior PSNI officers following an incident on Belfast’s Ormeau Road in 2021.
In his ruling, Mr Justice Scofield said the decision to suspend one probationary constable and reposition another was motivated by the real or perceived threat that Sinn Féin would withdraw its support for policing in Northern Ireland. This has been unequivocally denied by Sinn Féin.
Mr Kelly said that during Wednesday’s meeting there was a “thorough and detailed discussion of all the issues” and the Federation was “of the collective view that because of his involvement in the decisions concerning the Ormeau Road incident, and the real and perceived political interference in that process, we can have no confidence in him.”
He said that during the meeting there was also “heavy criticism” of the scrutiny body the Northern Ireland Policing Board and a review of its “effectiveness and role” was needed.
“The [police] service is in dire need of clear and strong leadership,” Mr Kelly said. We have to fix what’s fractured and change the entire way of working so that there isn’t a damaging and dangerous disconnect between the Senior Executive Team and all officers.
“We must have a leadership that listens and acts on the genuine and constructive feedback from the rank-and-file.
“None of this is easy, but we feel we owe it to our members to express in the strongest possible terms the deep feelings of hurt, resentment and anger that exists,” he said.
“The Federation stands ready to work collaboratively to rebuild the organisation and put policing back on an even keel.”
