Matt Parr

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said the PSNI had prioritised public security over enforcement of Covid-19 regulations at the funeral last June, without biasing one community over another.

In a report published today, HMICFRS said it understood why the PSNI took this approach, given the likelihood of tensions and the confusing nature of the Covid-19 regulations.

Justice Minister Naomi Long invited HMICFRS to undertake the inspection following a request from the Northern Ireland Policing Board in the wake of a statement from the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) at the end of March.

The inspectorate said the PSNI should still have explained and encouraged compliance with the Covid-19 regulations before the funeral took place, because the service had anticipated that breaches would occur on the day.

However, it found the PSNI took a consistent approach to investigating alleged breaches at similar funerals or events, and concluded that much of the public criticism of the PSNI following the funeral was unwarranted.

After taking independent legal advice, the inspectorate agreed that the PPS was right not to prosecute politicians who attended the funeral, because there was no realistic prospect of them being convicted.

Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said: “The PSNI faced the complex challenge of policing a politically-sensitive funeral while also trying to interpret the confusing Covid-19 regulations. The service took a sensitive approach, and ultimately achieved what it set out to do – prioritising public security over compliance with the regulations.

“Due to the complex and frequently changing Covid-19 regulations, we are not confident that there was enough evidence to prove to a court that any of the attendees at Bobby Storey’s funeral had knowingly committed an offence – and we therefore agree with the decision not to prosecute.

“I am reassured that the PSNI showed no bias in its handling of the funeral, and that the service would have taken the same approach if the funeral was held in a different community.

“The PSNI does however have lessons to learn from its handling of the funeral, and we have therefore made several recommendations to help it improve how it polices events in the future.”

Mrs Long said: “I am grateful to HMIC and his team for their swift response to my request and for producing such a comprehensive report, which has now been published on its website.”