The police watchdog has launched an investigation into how social distancing laws have been enforced to see if the PSNI “have been consistent in their approach”.
The Police Ombudsman’s Office said they are reviewing how officers and commanders used the Coronavirus Public Health Regulations at large public gatherings and how they issued fixed penalty notices at the events.
Police Ombudsman, Marie Anderson said the move “follows complaints from members of the public who attended ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests at Customs House Square, Belfast, and Guildhall Square in Derry on Saturday, June 6”.
Following the outbreak of Covid-19, the Department of Health, supported by the Stormont Executive, introduced Health Protection Regulations, which included measures to restrict the movement of people from their homes and the numbers of people who could gather together.
Mrs Anderson said her Office has “received complaints about the enforcement of the health regulations at the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests when compared to other large gatherings such as those seen at beaches and at the ‘protect our statues’ protest outside Belfast City Hall on Saturday, June 13 and concerns that police had not done enough to enforce the regulations”.
She said her investigation will focus on the “police policy and how it was and is being implemented, including how it is being communicated to police officers ‘on the ground’”.
The Police Ombudsman’s Office is empowered to investigate police policy and practice when it believes it is in the public interest to do so, they say.
Mrs Anderson added: “The powers to enforce the public health regulations came under new legislation and there is the likelihood that they will continue to be enforced for many months to come.
“It is in the public interest that there be an independent assessment as to whether the associated police policy is being applied consistently. If we identify inconsistences and can make recommendations which will help improve policing of public gatherings, we will do so promptly.
“If, however, we identify that there have been good reasons for taking different approaches on occasions, that is something the public should know and understand.”
The legality of the fixed penalty notices, the watchdog added, “is not a matter for the Police Ombudsman’s Office but rather one for the courts”.
Responding to the announcement, Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland Programme Director of Amnesty International, welcomed the “investigation into apparently inconsistent policing of large public gatherings in recent weeks”.
He added: “Amnesty International has received complaints from members of the public who have been fined and threatened with prosecution as a result of participation in peaceful, socially-distanced Black Lives Matter protests in Belfast and Derry-Londonderry.
“The right to peacefully protest is a fundamental human right and people must be allowed to take a stand against racism without being criminalised.”
