JEFFREY DONALDSON, LEADER of the Democratic Unionist Party, has submitted a motion of no-confidence in PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne.

In a statement posted on the DUP’s website, Donaldson expressed his disappointment at Byrne cancelling a planned meeting between the two. He said that he would have raised the motion with the Chief Constable at that meeting.

“Confidence in the Chief Constable has been eroded, both amongst the wider public but significantly, also amongst serving PSNI officers and staff,” he said.

“In light of that, we believe that a change of leadership is required. Allowing the issue to drift will only cause greater problems for public confidence and for the PSNI as an organisation.”

The motion comes about as a result of a High Court decision, which found that Byrne was not justified in taking disciplinary action against two PSNI officers following a Troubles memorial event in 2021.

Mr Justice Schofield found that the decision to discipline the two officers was made to allay any threat of Sinn Féin abandoning its commitment to policing in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Féin denied there was any threat to withdraw support for policing.

The decision comes hot on the heels of a sustained period of pressure on Byrne and the PSNI, after a major data blunder led to personal details of PSNI officers entering the public domain and getting into the hands of dissident republicans.

DUP Policing Board member Trevor Clarke said that the court’s decision showed that political considerations were influencing operational decisions.

“We want to see effective, efficient and impartial policing in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“The question is whether we sit back and watch confidence both inside and outside the PSNI continue to diminish, or whether it is time for change. This motion will allow the Policing Board to give its view.”