PSNI chief criticised over PM’s budget call

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chief Jon Boutcher has been criticised by the Ministry of Justice’s most senior official for approaching Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer directly for extra funding.

Hugh Widdis, the department’s permanent secretary, wrote to Mr Boutcher after he wrote to Mr Starmer outlining the financial and staffing problems facing the PSNI.

In a letter leaked to The News Letter, Mr Widdis wrote to Mr Boutcher suggesting he had undermined the authority of the minister and the wider Stormont executive.

The Justice Department said it does not comment on disclosed private letters.

Mr Widdis said there were “certain protocols” that “must be followed when engaging with the UK Government on funding matters”.

He added that this was to “respect the constitutional arrangements of Northern Ireland and in particular the powers of Ministers in the devolved Government”.

Liam Kelly, of the Police Federation of Northern Ireland, said the letter sent to Mr Boutcher by the Department of Justice Permanent Secretary appeared to be an “arrogant attempt to silence, shame and punish him”.

He said it was “appalling” and that “in football it is the equivalent of showing the police commissioner a yellow card”.

“It is unlikely that this letter was written alone,” he added.

“Mr Widdis needs to explain who supported this approach and their collective motivation and intentions.

“In my opinion the tone and tenor of this letter was disgraceful and a crude attempt to put the Chief Constable back in his box.”

Outgoing Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie also said the letter sent to Mr Boutcher was “appalling”.

In an interview on The Nolan Show on BBC Radio Ulster, he said the police chief “has no option but to recruit officers, and in doing so he will go over budget”.

“If the Justice Department doesn’t do anything about it, I don’t know who will fight to defend him,” he added.

“The budget he was given is unworkable and people need to know that.”

Earlier this week Sir Keir Starmer met Mr Boutcher, injured police officers and people from minority communities in east Belfast.

Dozens of PSNI officers have been injured while responding to race riots on the streets of Belfast in recent weeks over the course of anti-immigration protests.

The Prime Minister has called recent acts of racist violence in Northern Ireland “unbearable”.

Mr Widdis was appointed permanent secretary of the Department of Justice in April this year.

He was previously Head of the Government Legal Service for Northern Ireland and Legal Adviser to a department of the Northern Ireland Executive.