INDEPENDENT INQUIRY LAUNCHED INTO ACTION OF DERRY POLICE OFFICERS
The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has appointed two independent investigators to carry out a probe into the St Patrick’s Day incident in Derry in which police officers abandoned an incapacitated woman in a bus lay by.
The actions of the officers involved in the incident, recorded and posted on social media by local man Sean McCallion, has been widely condemned.
Announcing an independent investigation was under way, a spokesperson for Police Obudsman Dr Michael Maguire appealed to anyone who saw what happened to contact the Police Ombudsman’s freephone witness appeal line on 0800 032 7880.
Meanwhile, the PSNI has said the officers involved had been identified and suspension was a possibility but no action would be taken until the Ombudsman’s investigation was complete.
Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton said “at a first view” the police were seriously concerned and the officers’ behaviour, was “well below the standards we expect from our officers in dealing with vulnerable people whether the vulnerability is due to alcohol or anything else.”
He added: “Suspension will be a consideration but the police are awaiting ombudsman recommendations.”
Derry police commander Chief Superintendent Stephen Cargin said as soon as he viewed the video it was referred to the Ombudsman.
He added: “On occasions, when officers are investigated because of a breach of standards, there a number of things that can be done. They could be suspended or repositioned depending on the investigation.”
However, Derry SDLP MLA Pat Ramsey said he was “absolutely incensed” by the conduct of the officers involved and called for them to be suspended immediately pending ”what must be a full, frank and speedy investigation.”
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the video was “totally unacceptable.”
In a Tweet, he said it showed the two officers “failing to ensure the safety of an incapacitated woman on a public roadway.”
Derry Sinn Féin councillor Elisha McCallion, a member of the local Police and Community Safety Partnership, has welcomed the matter being referred to the Ombudsman.
Speaking after a meeting with CS Cargin, Cllr McCallion she said the contents of the video were “disturbing.”
Calling on the Ombudsman to bring back a report “as soon as possible” so that any recommendations could be implemented, she described what had happened as “disgusting.”
SDLP Councillor John Boyle, who was also attended the meeting, said members of the public expected a “greater degree of due care from our police.”
