Disgraceful officers betrayed those they were trusted to protect

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA has condemned the PSNI officers dismissed for their treatment of vulnerable people, saying they betrayed the very people they were sent to help.

Jon Burrows MLA said:

“These officers' actions were sickening. They humiliated vulnerable people they were sent to help, betrayed public trust and disgraced the uniform. They were rightly dismissed.

“These are exactly the officers the Police Ombudsman and PSNI anti-corruption investigators should be rooting out.

“I am surprised the PPS declined to prosecute for misconduct in public office, and I will be raising that decision with them directly.

“Conduct this serious should carry criminal consequences. If gaps in our laws or prosecution time limits are standing in the way of proper accountability, they need to be fixed. There has to be a real deterrent against this appalling abuse of trust.

“I am also calling on the PSNI to introduce home visits as part of recruitment and vetting, as the Angiolini Inquiry recommended. We should be doing everything we can to identify those unfit to wear the uniform before they are entrusted with its powers.”