Burrows Blog

At last Sinn Fein are attending a PSNI passing out ceremony. A significant step which bizarrely was made possible by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Today has undoubtedly been a long time coming. Sinn Fein signed up to policing in 2007, but in truth it has shown little warmth towards the PSNI and its officers. I previously described their 2007 decision as agreeing to hold the PSNI to account by taking their seats on accountability bodies, as opposed to wholeheartedly endorsing the organisation.

This was evidenced in the years since 2007, for example by their references to the ‘dark side’ of policing; such as when Gerry Adams was arrested in 2014 or after the incident on the Ormeau Road in 2021.

Sinn Fein attended their first PSNI recruitment event in 2020, a welcome step, albeit they agreed at the very last minute and arrived very late. The phones were red hot that day with all kinds of political wrangling and manoeuvres, a dramatic story yet untold.

That Sinn Fein attended a recruitment event and a passing out ceremony were key goals of some senior PSNI officers for a considerable time. The focus on these twin objectives intensified in the past five years (pre current Chief Constable), however it was to be the Covid pandemic that presented a unlikely landing zone for securing Sinn Féin’s attendance.

On the 5th February 2020, Sinn Fein stated in principle they would attend a PSNI passing-out ceremony, however that this was dependent on the ceremony being further ‘de-militarised’. The date of this statement is highly significant. It was at the time, a perplexing statement, because since a 2016 external report into the PSNI training college, there had been massive changes to address various issues.

One key change (designed to change culture) recommended that the amount of time dedicated to drill practice was reduced and that student officers no longer marched between classes.

The review recommended that drill instruction was confined to the last few weeks of the training programme, in order to prepare students officers for their passing out ceremony and for future ceremonial duties (funerals/state occasions etc).

The PSNI faithfully implemented the changes that were recommended in the report, which were ratified by the full Policing Board. The post 2016 passing out ceremonies retained some fanfare, which is customary in police passing events and in keeping with the review’s recommendations.

Officers wore their tunics, those who had previous police or military service displayed their medals, there was a short marching display and an inspection by a Reviewing Officer. It’s a very proud day for officers and one in which photographs taken with colleagues and families become life long treasures.

However, despite the implementation of the external reviews’ recommendations, Sinn Fein still refused to attend.

Despite marching being customary across GB police services and also that of An Garda Siochana, all civilian police services, Sinn Fein felt uncomfortable standing to the beat of the PSNI band as recruits filed past in their number one uniforms. The 2016 review was insufficient, more had to be done.

The impasse was apparently insurmountable. Jiggling with the passing out ceremony for the benefit of one political party was a minefield both internally and externally. Then Covid hit and opportunity knocked.

A PSNI passing out ceremony was due in March 2020, just weeks after Sinn Fein’s demilitarisation pre condition was publicised. The ceremony was cancelled, due to Covid.

In order to manage social distancing, a temporary scaled down ceremony was then introduced for the next batch of student officers. This was to allow a sense of occasion and for family to attend, despite the pandemic. There was no marching or inspection of officers in their tunics by a Reviewing Officer. The ceremony was based solely in an assembly hall and conducted like a university graduation.

Remember this was a temporary measure for Covid only, as the post 2016 arrangements had been signed off by the Policing Board and those included the reduced drill practice and marching in dress uniform at the passing out ceremony.

However, the Covid arrangements became permanent. A lightbulb moment for one senior (now retired officer) was that maintaining the pared down Covid ceremony might be enough to tempt Sinn Fein over the line.

So well after the pandemic, the Covid arrangements remain, there is no marching and indeed no dress uniforms are worn by students. Officers passing out will do so in standard operational uniform, no eligible medals can be worn and no Reviewing Officer will inspect a gleaming line of pressed uniforms and polished boots.

The 14th February 2020 was the last time there was any marching at a PSNI passing out ceremony. It was the last time a Reviewing Officer inspected the new officers. It was the last time tunics were worn. It was the last time a student officers who had medals, wore them a medal at a ceremony. Strikingly, it was just 6 days after Sinn Fein said the ceremony needed further de-militarisation.

The PSNI advised me via an FOI that tunics are no longer issued to new officers, though it hasn’t explained how they will access them if they need them for ceremonial duties. The PSNI also advised me that marching was dropped altogether to due time constraints in the recruit training programme, but this is contrary to the agreed implementation of the 2016 review.

Sinn Féin’s attendance today at a passing out ceremony is welcome, if it signifies the next steps in republicans fully embracing policing. However, it is unclear if they would return to future events if the full post 2016, pre Covid -19 passing out ceremony’s return. This is a question for a Sinn Fein to answer and for others to ask. I hope the answer is yes.

The second question is how much did the Policing Board know about a strategic, but unwritten policy decision that was made to change the format of the passing out ceremony. A decision that was outwith the 2016 review and made with at least one eye on securing Sinn Féin’s attendance?

The temporary Covid arrangements for passing out ceremonies have been seemingly been made permanent by default, but not without design.

Like many steps in the peace process, Sinn Féin’s attendance at today’s ceremony is historic, but not without some controversy and it has been enabled by a degree opaqueness and ambiguity. And after waiting so long, when it did happen, it did so at lighting speed, another hallmark of this place.

Ultimately true support for policing isn’t demonstrated when the sun is shining in the heady days of a retorted Executive, but rather when the storms arrive. The true test of Sinn Féin’s commitment to policing will come in due time. Today is a welcome step, but one with a backstory that few knew about.

Policing in Northern Ireland has always demanded unique sacrifice and supreme courage. To the men and women who passed out today, I send you best wishes and trust those in leadership roles inside and outside the PSNI, give you the apolitical support you deserve in the years ahead.