There appears to be no end in sight in the row over the PSNI decision to write off a bill for almost half a million pounds (£437,610) for the provision of escorting explosives to a mining company, followed by a change in position to no longer charge for this service.

While initially claimed to be a policy change, it was later discovered no such policy ever existed, and the PSNI advised a strategic review was under way around the service provision.

The report on this was due to be published in March, 2022, but it would be months later before it was completed and placed before PSNI management for consideration, where it continues to remain almost a year on.

Throughout this time, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council have repeatedly sought details on the controversial move, and while some members branded this “a waste of time”, they too agreed the report would provide a degree of clarity.

But the issue remains shrouded in apparent secrecy as questions around decision-making and accountability remain largely unanswered, with the latest signal from the PSNI appearing to equivocate on whether the report will be provided to the Council , or published at all.

On numerous occasions, the Council has written to the Chief Constable, the Policing Board, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and the Department of Justice seeking answers, but there appears to be reluctance for any of the authorities to take ownership of the move, leading those challenging the position to suggest the PSNI “went on a solo run”.

Chief Superintendent Jon Henry, however, has advised the decision was taken by senior PSNI management in April, 2021, and confirmed neither a feasibility study nor financial impact assessment was conducted, and there are no plans to do so.

Following on from Chief Constable Simon Byrne’s recent announcement of the current drastic financial pressures being felt by the police service, and how this will detrimentally impact on the PSNI’s service delivery, clarification was sought on whether consideration has been given to reverting to charging for the mining industry for explosives escorting.

They were also asked to provide the current status of management consideration into the strategic review report, and when it will be released to the public.

In response, Chief Superintendent Henry said the PSNI position remains unchanged, despite financial pressures, as legal advice “established that the services police provide to mining companies in their use of explosives cannot be classed as ‘special police services’, and costs will not be sought from these companies”.

He continued: “The legal advice was provided independently through the Crown Solicitor’s Office, and is broadly that the provision of such services to the mining and quarrying industries is necessary, partly because of the prevailing terrorist threat level in Northern Ireland, and also due to our statutory legal obligations around how explosives are managed.

“This being so, these services are considered to be security-related rather than ‘special police services’, which are chargeable for some commercial activities.”

He added: “An internal review of how we support operational delivery of our services was completed in 2022, and the contents are currently under consideration.

“We regard this review as an internal operational matter, which contains information relating to operational practice and methodology.

“Any publication – if at all – will be determined following senior management consideration.”

Clarity was sought on this particular aspect, as it was pointed out that publication of the review was previously assured, and remains awaited by a number of authorities, therefore to now equivocate on whether or not it may be published indicates a change in position.

The PSNI did not respond to this, so the enquiry was re-sent, and while it was acknowledged, there has been no reply by the time of publishing.

 

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