Police officer suspended after arrest of Troubles survivor at Belfast memorial event

'The events do not reflect the values of the Police Service of Northern Ireland,' says chief constable

PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne apologises for the incident at a memorial event in Belfast (PA)

A police officer has been suspended after a Troubles survivor was arrested at an event commemorating the 29th anniversary of a loyalist paramilitary attack.

The chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland apologised for the incident which resulted in angry scenes at at a memorial to the five victims of the shooting at Sean Graham bookmakers in Belfast.

Simon Byrne said the events "do not reflect the values" of the force and offered to meet with the families of those involved in the 1992 atrocity.

He confirmed that one officer had been suspended and a second had been repositioned following a review of the body-worn camera footage.

He said: "Clearly I recognise this has been a really difficult issue for the local community and indeed the wider community in Northern Ireland over the last 24 hours.

"Firstly I would like to apologise to those people that were affected in the Ormeau Road yesterday by our actions, in terms of what they saw and what they heard.

"And secondly to people that have been concerned and upset by what has been shown on social media. I apologise for what has happened."

The Police Ombudsman's Office has also launched an investigation into the incident after receiving a complaint from deputy first minister Michelle O'Neill.

Ms O'Neill described it as a "shameful display of policing" that had caused "unprecedented anger and distress across the community."

Police said that officers had approached a man about a possible breach of the coronavirus regulations at the end of the wreath laying ceremony at around 2.30pm on Friday.

Following angry exchanges, Mark Sykes, who was injured in the 1992 attack, was arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour and resisting arrest.

Mr Sykes was later released and later issued a statement through campaign group Relatives for Justice stating that "the only thing I had in my hands was flowers, that my three-year-old granddaughter had lain at her uncle's memorial".

He also contrasted his arrest to the lack of action by police when a gang of masked men gathered in east Belfast in an apparent loyalist paramilitary show of strength earlier this week.

The chief constable responded to the allegation of "two tier policing" by saying that he recognised public concerns, but added: "The coronavirus regulations do present particular challenges for policing. We are struggling sometimes to get that balance right because of the fast paced nature of events."

Mr Byrne said the two officers involved were relatively inexperienced, having joined the PSNI in July last year.

However he said that the review of the footage had established that officers did not attempt to stop the commemoration event.

Mr Byrne also vowed not to quit after facing criticism over the police response to the outcry. He said: "I'm not a quitter, I took this job with my eyes open, determined to invest my time, my capital, working with a top team to deliver on my promise, which was visible, accessible and responsive community policing.

"I don't pretend this isn't a difficult week. But actually, if I quit now, it would just leave the same set of problems for whoever stood in my shoes. This is about leadership, it's about calm heads and direction while I work with a top team to move people out of the place we find ourselves in and deliver on the promises that I've made."

Additional reporting by Press Association