DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says it is 'time for a change' at head of PSNI as Chief Constable Simon Byrne faces crunch talks with Policing Board

Speaking to media at Stormont Castle following a meeting between the parties and the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Jayne Brady, Sir Jeffrey echoed comments by his colleague Trevor Clarke that Chief Constable Simon Byrne should resign.

“I think that the developments this week with the high court ruling on the judicial review brought by two PSNI constables has raised some very serious issues, and I think this goes to the heart of public confidence in our police service and the senior leadership,” he said.

“I think the key issue for the Policing Board now is, who is best placed to win back that confidence because there’s no doubt there have been a series of situations and events that have harmed public confidence, and not only public confidence, I speak to many serving police officers who themselves are very concerned about the leadership they’re getting.

“I think the key question for the Policing Board today is who is best placed to lead the police service in winning back public confidence and addressing the very real issues and problems that have arisen in recent weeks that have undermined public confidence.

“We have come to the view that it is time for change.”

Meanwhile, DUP MLA Trevor Clarke has called for the Chief Constable to resign rather than have to be forced to do so.

Speaking as he arrived for a meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board meeting in Belfast, at which Mr Byrne will appear, Mr Clarke said: “The decision for him should be to go instead of forcing us to actually force him to resign.

“He hasn’t resigned on previous occasions and maybe we didn’t join in terms of that chorus, but this is different. The courts have concluded on this one. There are other investigations that haven’t concluded, we don’t know how they will look, and those obviously will bear a different bearing for him in the future if he continues to hang around and other members don’t support us.

“The high court has ruled in this case and it’s clear from that that there has been political interference, and he has been led by that in terms of his judgment in relation to those two officers.”

Mr Clarke added: “Sinn Fein may have denied that, of course, but he (Byrne) has it in his notebooks. Whether it happened or not, it was part of his decision in terms of that decision-making process. We can get into semantics of whether it happened or not, but ultimately he put in his notebook, it bore some of his consideration whenever he came to the determination to suspend the officer.”

Mr Byrne faces renewed calls to quit this week after a High Court judge ruled that a decision to take action against two junior officers was unlawful.

Mr Justice Scoffield said the decision was made to discipline the officers to allay any threat of Sinn Fein abandoning its support for policing in Northern Ireland.

However, Sinn Fein denied there was any threat to withdraw support for policing.