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Sinn Fein MLA will sit on panel to select chief constable despite Mary Lou McDonald comments

PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton is due to retire in the summer. Picture by Mal McCann
PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton is due to retire in the summer. Picture by Mal McCann PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton is due to retire in the summer. Picture by Mal McCann

SINN Féin assembly member Linda Dillon will sit on the panel to select the next PSNI chief constable, the Policing Board last night said.

Questions were raised last month after Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said she would not have confidence in any current member of the force's senior command team replacing George Hamilton when he retires in the summer.

Mr Hamilton branded her remarks "ill-judged, wrong and inaccurate", while the Police Federation said they called into question the objectivity of Sinn Féin representatives who would be involved in the selection process.

Sinn Féin President Mary-Lou McDonald had said she would not have confidence in any member of the PSNI's senior command team replacing chief constable George Hamilton when he retires in the summer. Photo by Liam McBurney, Press Association
Sinn Féin President Mary-Lou McDonald had said she would not have confidence in any member of the PSNI's senior command team replacing chief constable George Hamilton when he retires in the summer. Photo by Liam McBurney, Press Association Sinn Féin President Mary-Lou McDonald had said she would not have confidence in any member of the PSNI's senior command team replacing chief constable George Hamilton when he retires in the summer. Photo by Liam McBurney, Press Association

It is understood legal advice to the board suggested all political representatives could be excluded from the interview panel, leaving the decision to independent Policing Board members alongside experts.

However, it announced last night that the panel would be made up of board chair Anne Connolly, John Blair from Alliance, Alan Chambers of the UUP, Ms Dillon, Dolores Kelly of the SDLP, Colm McKenna, Wendy Osborne and Mervyn Storey of the DUP.

It added that "to provide further assurance and confidence, the board has today agreed to incorporate additional independent scrutiny throughout the process to bring an extra level of scrutiny, probity and transparency".

The Policing Board said Sinn Fein assembly member Linda Dillon will sit on a panel to select Northern Ireland's next chief constable
The Policing Board said Sinn Fein assembly member Linda Dillon will sit on a panel to select Northern Ireland's next chief constable The Policing Board said Sinn Fein assembly member Linda Dillon will sit on a panel to select Northern Ireland's next chief constable

Ms Connolly said the process would be based on principles of merit, fairness, openness and transparency.

"This is a significant appointment for policing and following discussions today, the board is fully confident that the process can move ahead with integrity and on the basis of equality of opportunity for all."

The competition is due to be completed by the end of June.

Ms McDonald's intervention followed serious criticism of the PSNI over a notorious shooting investigation.

Five people were killed on February 5 1992 when members of the loyalist Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) opened fire on the Sean Graham bookmakers shop on Belfast's lower Ormeau Road.

Police Ombudsman Michael Maguire said "significant, sensitive information" was not made available to his investigators of police conduct.