Kelly applauds officers and Chief Constable for ‘job well done’

The Chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland Liam Kelly says the decision-making by the PSNI and ‘incredible restraint and professionalism’ of officers averted widespread violence and disorder in Portadown.

Mr Kelly said: “At the heart of any debate over lawful and unlawful protests is the need to prevent violence and injury. Police negotiators on Garvaghy Road did all they could to seek a peaceful way through for both residents and the Orange Order.

“There are conflicting and angry political statements about what happened and how the PSNI managed a near-impossible situation. The actions of the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and his senior colleagues were exemplary and certainly beyond reproach.

“Our officers showed incredible restraint and professionalism. The bottom line is no one was hurt. There was no rioting. Thankfully, no officers or protesters or Orange Order members sustained injury. That is success in my book. From a policing perspective, it was a job well done.

“The police cannot be scapegoated for political failure or inadequacies by others in the lead-up to Sunday’s fiasco. Instead of pointing the finger at Mr Boutcher and my rank-and-file members, those who seek to lay blame at our doorstep ought to consider what brought our community to this point, dial down the rhetoric and instead forge a new path that delivers respect and accommodation.”