Stormont Permanent Secretary 'seemingly sought to chastise and gag Jon Boutcher with this high-handed and menacing letter'
The Police Federation has slated a top Stormont civil servant for trying to “gag” the Chief Constable after he made a pitch to the Prime Minister for more money.
Prior to the disorder of recent weeks, Mr Boutcher had been flagging grave concerns about the PSNI’s financial situation, insisting he does not have the necessary resources to police Northern Ireland effectively. Mr Boutcher has insisted Stormont does not get enough money to sustain public services in Northern Ireland, including the PSNI. His officer headcount remains more than 1,000 officers below recommended levels.
The Chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly, says the letter sent to the Chief Constable by the Permanent Secretary is a “high-handed attempt to gag, embarrass and chastise” him. “Mr Boutcher was right to go over the heads of local Ministers and appeal directly to the Prime Minister. He was forced to do that because he has already evidenced and outlined to Ministers the facts around the critical position policing is in. From the minute he was appointed, he has been making the case for more resources, but nothing tangible has changed. The ongoing dithering and procrastination at local level has dictated his actions.
“This Federation completely supports Mr Boutcher and what he is doing to highlight the funding ‘famine’ and adverse impact on our officers and the policing services they provide. He cannot be put in a ‘straitjacket’.
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