BREAKING | Jon Boutcher announced as new PSNI Chief Constable

[https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/jon-boutcher-announced-as-new-psni-chief-constable/a1134557431.html](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/jon-boutcher-announced-as-new-psni-chief-constable/a1134557431.html)

Jon Boutcher has been confirmed as the new Chief Constable of the PSNI.

The announcement was made on Tuesday evening by the NI Policing Board after interviews for the role were carried out with Mr Boutcher and fellow candidate Bobby Singleton on Monday.

NIPB Chair Deirdre Toner said she looked forward to working with Mr Boutcher.

“I am pleased to confirm that Jon Boutcher QPM is the successful candidate from this appointment competition,” she said.

“Jon takes on the leadership role for one of the most important public sector services in Northern Ireland. He is clearly committed to the challenges ahead, to tackling crime and criminality and to providing a policing service that is community based and focused on delivery to the public.

“There are also significant pieces of work to be progressed to manage and mitigate the serious financial pressures currently facing policing, and deal with confidence and other issues arising from recent events.

“As a Board we look forward to working with him as Chief Constable in dealing with the challenges faced.”

Mr Boutcher had been appointed as Interim Chief Constable last month following the resignation of previous incumbent Simon Byrne in the wake of the PSNI data breach and a damning High Court ruling that officers involved in an incident during the Sean Graham memorial had been illegally disciplined.

A former Met Police counter-terrorism officer, Mr Boutcher had led Operation Kenova – which continues to investigate allegations of murder, kidnap and torture in Northern Ireland dating back to the 1970s – for the last six years.

Prior to that he served as Chief Constable for Bedfordshire, a force he joined in 2014, until he stood down in 2019.

While in Bedfordshire, Mr Boutcher oversaw the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit and the Eastern Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit — units responsible for tackling serious and organised crime and terrorism.

He was the senior investigating officer for the Met Police’s Operation Rhyme, an investigation that identified and traced a group of British men who planned mass casualty attacks in Washington, New York and Newark in the USA.

Mr Boutcher led the manhunt which identified the 21/7 failed terrorist plotters. One of the most challenging episodes in British policing, the operation successfully identified, located and arrested the suspects and those that assisted them.

He then led the investigative response to the Haymarket car bomb and subsequent terrorist attack at Glasgow airport.

Chair of the Police Federation of Northern Ireland (PFNI), Liam Kelly, said he looked forward to working with Mr Boutcher.

“I have met Mr Boutcher in his capacity as the Interim Chief Constable and look forward to continuing to have a productive and positive engagement,” he said.

“We must collaborate across a number of areas but most of all, our officers want to know their Chief Constable has their back.

“The list of what must be fixed is long and can only be addressed by a meaningful and realistic funding package from Government. Taken together, the Service will need a commitment to invest up to £500 million.

“There’s a worrying funding gap coupled with the cost of the data breach and officer holiday pay which account for most of what’s required. There’s no recruitment and serving officers are leaving because of the pressures they endure in doing their job.

“If the Government doesn’t step in to deal with chronic and deep-rooted challenges, we will see officer numbers shrink to 6,000 and that is unsafe and unsound.

“Mr Boutcher knows what has to be done to restore balance. Getting Ministers to realise and then fix the parlous state of the PSNI is the main priority. That will require intensive lobbying at Whitehall as NIO Ministers don’t seem to care and have turned a deaf ear to policing requirements.

“Internally, it will be important to re-build confidence and morale. Disciplinary processes are in need of reform with far too many officers waiting an inordinate length of time for cases to be resolved.

“None of this will come as a surprise to Mr Boutcher as we’ve already made our views known to him. Our new Chief Constable has a difficult and demanding in-tray, but he will have our support as he sets out his plans to right a badly listing organisation.”

UUP Policing Board representative Mike Nesbitt also welcomed the appointment.

“I want to congratulate Jon Boutcher on his appointment. He has shown a strong start as the interim Chief Constable, improving officer and staff morale and promptly dealing with a number of challenging issues,” said the Strangford MLA.

“I feel we will see more of the same under his leadership and look forward to working with him through my position on the Policing Board.

“There are some who may be disappointed that there were not more candidates for this position, I would point out that that we received 2 excellent candidates who were both more than capable to take on the role.

“I have always said that getting policing right takes more than one person. I am pleased to see that the senior team seem to be heading in the right direction, towards rebuilding confidence, both within the rank and file and amongst the public they serve.”

by Constant__18