Bobby Storey funeral: UUP calls for resignation of Simon Byrne

Steve Aiken, left, said PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne and the force's leadership had "failed"

The Ulster Unionist Party has become the latest to call for the resignation of the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) chief constable.

UUP leader Steve Aiken said the force's leadership had "failed" and Simon Byrne no longer had his party's support.

Earlier this week, it emerged that prosecutors would not charge anyone in relation to their attendance at the funeral of republican Bobby Storey.

The funeral attracted 2,000 mourners when Covid restrictions were in place.

The chief constable has already faced calls to step down from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) and Progressive Unionist Party (PUP).

In a statement on Thursday night, Mr Aiken said: "It is with regret that it has come to this, but it is clear that without the support of much of the community he seeks to serve, it is time for the chief constable to resign."

Mr Storey, 64, was a senior republican figure and had been the head of intelligence for the IRA in the 1990s.

On Thursday, the assembly passed a motion censuring Sinn Féin ministers for their attendance at the funeral.

The actions of 24 Sinn Féin politicians - including Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill - were examined by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS), but it decided not to proceed with charges.

A large number of mourners turned out for the funeral of Bobby Storey

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Byrne expressed surprise at the conclusion of prosecutors during a meeting with the Policing Board.

He also said he recognised policing of the former IRA intelligence chief's funeral last June had caused outrage and damaged confidence in policing.

The decisions taken by the PSNI over Bobby Storey's funeral will also be reviewed by the UK policing watchdog, it has emerged.

Mr Byrne told the Policing Board that he welcomed the planned review by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), which independently assesses the conduct of police forces across the UK.

On Tuesday, Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Herron said the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 had become "extremely difficult to navigate" because of various amendments, and were in some respects "inconsistent".

He concluded that the "lack of clarity and coherence within the regulations and the prior engagement between organisers and the police" would "pose an insurmountable difficulty" if prosecutions were brought.

'No evidence deals were done'

On Thursday, Mr Byrne - who faces calls to step down from First Minister Arlene Foster - said he and his officers were surprised professionally by those conclusions.

"The PPS draw their conclusions but this is what we're wrestling with now," he said.

"To what extent could we have foreseen that by speaking to the organiser and the event management company this would afford this excuse?

"This is at the heart of what HMIC will want to get to.

"If we had anticipated where we would have ended up we may have taken an entirely different approach."

Simon Byrne spoke at a Policing Board meeting earlier on Thursday

Mr Byrne said there had been no negotiations between police and the funeral organisers, and the PPS found no evidence that deals were done in the run-up to the event.

The chief constable said he recognised that people were angry.

"We are trying to make sense [of] how legitimate engagement... has put us in this situation," he said.

Mr Byrne also said the force has received legal advice which states that it cannot cancel fines issued around Black Lives Matter protests last year.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd, who was the PSNI's so-called gold commander on the day of the funeral, said it was always his assessment that there was going to be more than the permitted numbers at the funeral.

'He's wrong'

Mr Byrne suggested that he had previously raised concerns about the Covid-19 regulations relating to funerals.

But Mrs Foster said her office had not received any letters from him in relation to such concerns.

First Minister Arlene Foster said the PSNI leadership needs to change

"He appeared with me on four occasions at press conferences and did not take the opportunity to raise any issues in relation to regulations so he's wrong," she told BBC Newsline.

"He has been wrong in the way he handled the policing operation; he has been wrong in the fact that he received a plan for the funeral; and he did not challenge that plan and deal with the issues.

"There is no letter in the Executive Office from the chief constable," she added.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader said she welcomed the decision by the PPS to review its decision not to make prosecutions.

Mrs Foster also said she supported the HMIC investigation into the PSNI's handling of the funeral.

"For the rank and file officers, we will continue to support you in the very difficult job that you do but your leadership needs to change," she said.

"If republicans and nationalists were saying they had no confidence in the chief constable would he remain? I very much doubt it."