Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“Much as the Justice Minister may want to draw a line under the Storey funeral it remains the case that serious issues remain unaddressed. Questions remain unanswered which cut to the heart of equality, fairness and confidence in policing.
“The key question is – who did police hand control of the streets of West Belfast to on the day? The HMIC report repeatedly makes reference to an “events company”. Since the report’s publication it has been claimed that so such company exists. On twitter the Justice Minister has suggested that it may have been an individual who was SIA registered who produced the plan. Which is it? Who are the “Black and Whites”? I think we all know who is likely to provide muscle at the funeral of a senior Provo but should we permit this all to be passed off as a “events company” or an unnamed individual, SIA registered or not? How can the Justice Minister still have confidence in a report when she won’t stand over an “events company” being involved? Does she know who they are? Does she care?
“HMIC say that in planning large public events police often consult with other organisations. They pointedly note that when it came to the Storey funeral the PSNI did not consult the PPS in advance. Why is left unanswered.
“The cosy relationship between the PSNI and Sinn Fein which the report exposes needs to be addressed. How many of us, for example, could have 400 people gathered for a wake in the middle of a pandemic with police ordered to monitor what was going on “from a safe distance” because they “were greatly outnumbered”? How many of us would receive a call from the PSNI like that which Gerry Kelly got that day when he told them that stewards would disperse the crowd?
“Why was it that the PSNI footage on the day was “taken from too great a distance to identify individuals”?
“What a farce it is to think that when it came to providing evidence the PPS most of the footage was from Sinn Fein’s own video which was posted online!
“If the PSNI didn’t surrender control of the streets on that day why did the Gold Commander tell HMIC he had “no idea” what the police could have done differently when they realised stewarding wasn’t working as anticipated?
“One inspector who patrolled the periphery of the funeral in a vehicle that didn’t stop at any time told HMIC:
“I knew it was the sort of gathering that any attempt on my part to stop and engage would not have gone down well. I was getting a clear picture from the steely looks I was getting”.
The report adds:
“We were told that, in their [the police’s] opinion, any engagement would have led to disorder. This would have had substantial and long-term consequences for the PSNI relationship with the community.”
“The policing – or lack therefore – of the Storey funeral has destroyed public confidence in the PSNI. It is wrong to claim that a report which tries to tell us there was nothing out of the ordinary involved in the whole affair should be the end of the matter. Issues of equality, fairness and confidence in policing need to be addressed.”