Northern Ireland

Police Federation says new PSNI branding 'problematic'

The new proposed design logo for the PSNI.
The new proposed design logo for the PSNI. The new proposed design logo for the PSNI.

THE Police Federation has said proposed new branding for the PSNI is "problematic".

Chief Constable Simon Byrne last week revealed a new look for the force using the words 'Police Service NI'.

The crest currently used on branding - a St Patrick's Cross surrounded by a harp, crown, shamrock, laurel leaf, torch and scales of justice - would remain largely the same but the words 'Police Service Northern Ireland' would also be dropped in most public imagery.

Mr Byrne said: "Policing is so much more than an acronym – which is why our brand review is focussing on using ‘Police Service NI’ as opposed to ‘PSNI’.

"Our current brand is simply the crest and we aim to enhance this to better reflect the breadth and depth of what we do and to improve our connection to our communities.

"Alongside this, we are reviewing our uniform and our vehicle fleet signage."

He added: "It is important to highlight that we are not changing the crest or the name of the service as both are representative of the service we deliver and are set in law."

However, Mark Lindsay of the Police Federation said while the service should be able to modernise and "adapt to changing circumstances", altering the version of the crest that will be more frequently be seen in public is "problematic".

"As clearly outlined by the Chief Constable, this cannot be a name change or a change in the crest as that is set in law," he said.

"There was hard-won political consensus, and considerable internal pain, around the crest when it was introduced. That fact should not be lost in this debate.

"We accept that this is an attempt to provide more operationally practical uniforms for officers and greater visibility for vehicles. In fact, the vehicle livery is more in line with what is seen in all other parts of the United Kingdom.

"Altering the crest by removing the name from it is proving problematic. I believe this is inappropriate and it is a view that we will convey during the formal consultation and implementation phase.

"Since the unveiling of the new-look branding, the PFNI is aware of some officers who expressed concern about the removal of the name from the crest that will more frequently be seen in public."