Opinion

Brendan Hughes: Police likely to face more questions over sensitive Ronan Kerr case

A joint guard of honor from Ronan Kerr's GAA team and his PSNI colleagues at his funeral Mass. Picture By: Arthur Allison.
A joint guard of honor from Ronan Kerr's GAA team and his PSNI colleagues at his funeral Mass. Picture By: Arthur Allison. A joint guard of honor from Ronan Kerr's GAA team and his PSNI colleagues at his funeral Mass. Picture By: Arthur Allison.

THE notion of an officer having an affair with a person of interest to police is concerning in itself, but that person being associated with those linked to Ronan Kerr's murder makes it all the more significant and sensitive.

The dissident republican murder in April 2011 of Constable Kerr, a Catholic police officer aged just 25, was met with a universal outpouring of grief.

His funeral in the village of Beragh, Co Tyrone, was filled with small acts of powerful symbolism which spoke of one community, united in solidarity.

Wearing their jerseys, GAA players stood side-by-side with uniformed PSNI officers to form a guard of honour. Unionist politicians defied their Orange Order membership, which prohibits attendance at Catholic Masses, to express their condolences.

It was a key turning point in how nationalist communities viewed and publicly accepted the police.

PSNI constable Ronan Kerr
PSNI constable Ronan Kerr PSNI constable Ronan Kerr

Disciplinary action against police officers is not unusual.

According to Freedom of Information requests, more than 70 police officers were brought before formal misconduct hearings between 2013 and 2015, accused of around 130 charges.

Six officers were dismissed over issues including fraud and theft convictions, and falsifying police records. In 12 hearings, officers were required to resign over charges including possessing Class B drugs, drink-driving and breaching firearms laws.

The policewoman in last month's disciplinary was sanctioned with two formal reprimands and had her pay docked.

These sanctions were for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a person involved in criminality; retaining evidence at her home; failing to notify colleagues about persons of interest potentially breaching bail conditions; and breaching her own police bail conditions while under investigation.

Some may ask if it is appropriate that this officer returns to operational duty.

Further questions may also be asked why a complaint about an officer's conduct in relation to an investigation into the murder of a colleague was not referred to the independent complaints body.

Police say the Police Ombudsman was not informed because there was no public complaint. However, without details being leaked to this newspaper, the public would not have known about the case.

The PSNI is likely to face further questions over its handling and its disciplinary processes.

PSNI officer had affair with associate of gang linked to Ronan Kerr's murder