The Police Ombudsman is investigate the ‘consistency’ of how the PSNI handled a Blacks Lives Matter protest compared to the Bobby Storey funeral.
Marie Anderson announced today that she has started an investigation into a complaint she received from a member of the public who was involved in a BLM protest at Guildhall Square in Derry on Saturday, June 6 last year.
A spokesman for the watchdog said: “The complaint involves allegations of inconsistencies in the policing approach to engagement and enforcement at the Black Lives Matter protest when compared with the funeral of Bobby Storey. The complainant alleges that the inconsistencies amount to race discrimination.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, the Police Ombudsman said they have a “statutory duty to investigate qualifying complaints about police conduct and is satisfied that the complaint, received on 6 April 2021, is one that she is required to investigate”.
The spokesman added: “The investigation will focus on matters related to the engagement of the PSNI with the organisers of the Black Lives Matter protest in Guildhall Square, Derry/Londonderry in advance of the event. The investigation will examine if this engagement was consistent with the PSNI’s approach to the organisers of Bobby Storey’s funeral.
“The investigation will also examine the PSNI strategy, policies and decision-making around the two events in light of this complaint.”
