Northern Ireland

Crossmaglen people angered as Chief Constable Simon Byrne posts picture with 'heavily armed' officers

Simon Byrne posed with armed PSNI officers in Crossmaglen
Simon Byrne posed with armed PSNI officers in Crossmaglen Simon Byrne posed with armed PSNI officers in Crossmaglen

CHIEF Constable Simon Byrne last night faced criticism from politicians in south Armagh after a social media post showed him in Crossmaglen flanked by PSNI officers armed with heavy weapons.

Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy called the tweet "offensive", while SDLP Slieve Gullion representative Pete Byrne said he was seeking an urgent meeting with Northern Ireland's top policeman in the wake of the Christmas morning post.

The chief constable posted pictures of Crossmaglen PSNI station during a visit to the facility.

He said: "I take my hat off to colleagues policing such a unique part of (the PSNI).

"Their sense of duty & optimism is inspiring. Stay safe and thank you."

But it was the photograph of two officers posing with automatic weapons that prompted condemnation on Twitter.

Child protection expert and former senior PSNI officer Jim Gamble said that while the chief constable's post was well intentioned, the pictures of "heavily armed officers sends the wrong message".

Megan Fearon, who last week announced her plan to step down as a Sinn Féin MLA for Newry and Armagh, labelled the tweet "disgraceful".

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"This is a total insult to the people of south Armagh – a generous, kind hearted and proud community," she said.

She described the PSNI's Crossmaglen facility as a "military style barracks" that "needs to go".

Mr Murphy said the post "only served to further undermine the public confidence in the PSNI within south Armagh".

“The heavily armed officers posing with the chief constable is reflective of the militaristic style of policing that the community in south Armagh has had to endure in recent years," he said.

"This community is no different to any other, any attempt to differentiate the style of policing has not and will not be tolerated."

Councillor Byrne said the social media post was "ill-judged".

"While we all appreciate police officers and other emergency services working on Christmas Day, questions must be asked about the nature of this post," he said.

"Language and images like this flies in the face of the positive work that has been achieved. "

Responding to the criticism, Mr Byrne tweeted last night that his original post had "caused some emotion".

He said: "The officers are carrying weapons and sadly this is the stark reality of the policing environment they work in, tackling the severe terrorist threat."