Summary

  • Jon Boutcher speaks publicly for the first time since becoming Police Service of Northern Ireland chief

  • He was appointed to the top post in Northern Ireland policing on Tuesday night after job interviews on Monday

  • He takes the job amid a time of flux for the force after several high-profile crises under his predecessor this year

  • Boutcher faces a list of problems in his new role, including a stretched budget and low morale among officers

  • The ex-chief of Bedfordshire Police succeeds previous Chief Constable Simon Byrne who quit in September

Live Reporting

Niall Glynn and Jake Wood

  1. 'Sometimes we'll get it wrong'

    The new chief constable says the PSNI is a "best-in-class" police force.

    "We are the emergency service that everyone calls," he says.

    "And sometimes, sometimes we'll get things wrong but when we do get things wrong we will learn from those issues collectively.

    "Everyone makes mistakes - we're not robots, we're human beings.

    "But by and large that service that's provided by this organisation is best in class in this country."

  2. 'Officers have my absolute support'

    Jon Boutcher says it's a huge privilege for his interim chief constable role to be to be made permanent.

    He says the workforce has his absolute support and he's aware of the concerns of officers and staff who are in fear of getting things wrong and the unfair consequences of doing that.

  3. 'This is an outstanding organisation'

    Jon Boutcher

    In his opening remarks, Jon Boutcher commends the work of his new officers and says the PSNI is an outstanding organisation of which everyone in Northern Ireland should be proud.

  4. Boutcher's news conference begins

    Jon Boutcher has settled into his chair in front of the cameras and microphones.

    You can watch the news conference by hitting the play button at the top of this page.

  5. 'He must tackle deep-rooted issues in PSNI'

    In a sign of the scale of the problems Jon Boutcher faces in his new job, the body representing rank-and-file officers has highlighted the "chronic and deep-rooted issues holding back the [police] service".

    Liam Kelly, the chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, has congratulated Boutcher on his appointment.

    Liam KellyPFNI

    But he's urging him to prioritise securing "direct and urgent" intervention from the UK government to help deal with the crises within the force, including a stretched budget.

    Kelly says the new chief has the federation's full support "for a campaign to get minsters to realise what is urgently required".

    "The list of what must be fixed is long and can only be addressed by a meaningful and realistic funding package from government," he says.

  6. How was Jon Boutcher appointed?

    The Northern Ireland Policing Board oversees the PSNI's work and its members, including chairwoman Deirdre Toner (below), interview and select the chief constable.

    Jon Boucher and a second candidate, Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton, were interviewed for the job yesterday.

    Deirdre TonerPA Media

    Boutcher, a former head of Bedfordshire Police, had already been appointed interim chief constable of the PSNI last month.

    The Policing Board chose him for the permanent post and their selection was signed off by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris last night.

    The chief constable position carries a salary of £220,000 a year and is considered one of the most demanding jobs in UK policing.

  7. Welcome to our coverage

    Good afternoon. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has a new chief constable after months of crisis within the organisation.

    He's Jon Boutcher - he was appointed last night and he has a big job ahead of him.

    We'll hear from him soon as he gives his first news conference after taking the top job in Northern Ireland policing.

    You'll be able to watch it live and you can follow our text updates too. Thanks for joining us.