THE calls for Chief Constable Simon Byrne to quit have echoes of similar demands made just six months ago by unionist leaders who have since been replaced.
DUP Economy Minister Gordon Lyons yesterday called on the PSNI head to resign over the review of policing in south Armagh.
He said Mr Byrne was "tone deaf" to unionist concerns.
His leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson did not repeat the call but said Mr Lyons spoke for the party.
TUV leader Jim Allister has also called for the chief constable to quit but while the Ulster Unionists have been critical of elements of the south Armagh recommendations, none of its representatives has yet urged Mr Byrne to consider his position.
In the wake of March's PPS decision not to prosecute senior Sinn Féin figures for breaches of Covid restrictions at last year's Bobby Storey funeral, both the then DUP leader Arlene Foster and her Ulster Unionist counterpart Steve Aiken called for Mr Byrne's resignation.
Notably, while the chief constable remains in post, Mrs Foster was ousted as DUP leader less than a month later. Mr Aiken lasted slightly longer, falling on his sword in early May.
