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The divisions that continue to plague institutionality in Northern Ireland
LYNDA WALKER looks at the background to present disarray in the Police Service of Northern Ireland
(Left) Time for Truth campaigners outside the Sean Graham bookmaker's on Ormeau Road in Belfast in February 2019 collecting signatures for a petition to implement mechanisms to deal with Northern Ireland's troubled past; (right) Mark Sykes stands at the memorial to those killed during the attack on February 5 1992, he survived after being shot four times his 18-year-old brother-in-law, Peter Magee was killed

THE resignation of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Simon Byrne this month was expected. According to the media his term of office as the PSNI’s most senior officer was marked by a series of damaging controversies.

The latest was the result of a judicial review over the suspension of one police officer and the repositioning of another.

A High Court judge said the actions were “unlawful” and quashed the measures — however the suspension of one police officer and the of repositioning of another had been lifted. In addition, the court said the chief constable “bent to political pressure” in the process.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
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