‘No direction in place’ for officers not to carry personal protection weapons, says PSNI chief constable
The chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland has stressed that there is “no direction in place” that officers should not carry personal protection weapons (PPWs) into public meetings.
It comes after reports suggested that politicians had directed police officers not to carry their PPWs into some meetings and party offices.
Addressing a meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board on Thursday (November 6), Jon Boutcher said: “At no stage has Sinn Féin, or for that matter any other political party, raised any issues with me or anyone in the Service Executive Team about police officers carrying their police-issue PPWs at public meetings.
“If they did ask, they would be told very clearly that this is an operational police matter and that the safety and security of my officers is non-negotiable.
“I have personally spoken to the district commanders in the publicly mentioned areas of West Belfast and Derry City and Strabane, as well as to the Police Federation, and no one has reported any instances of this occurring.”
The chief constable added: “I want to reiterate my position, and that of the senior team, that sadly the carriage of PPWs remains a necessary reality of policing in Northern Ireland. There is no direction in place that officers should agree to demands not to carry them at public meetings, and if such a request came forward, officers would have my full support in politely saying no to that request.
“However, I would also stress that discussing any matter relating to the protection of officers including the carriage of their personal protective weapons in a public arena is unhelpful. Issues of such a sensitive security nature should be dealt with privately and directly with me.”