DUP hit out at Bradley policing comments

The DUP has hit out at comments made by the Policing Board vice chairman that the current political vacuum was threatening progress made on policing in Northern Ireland.

Speaking on Monday morning, Denis Bradley said nationalists may have to reconsider their involvement in policing if the stalemate goes on and that if the political problems were not resolved within two weeks, the governments should impose joint authority or another mechanism other than direct rule.

"If a police officer was killed somewhere within the next couple of months - within that vacuum - I think that policing could be set back for a long period of time," he said.

Reacting to Mr Bradley’s comments, DUP Policing Board member Ian Paisley Jnr described them as “disgraceful”.

“Bradley ought to either retract these words or else he should have the decency to resign from the Police Board,” Mr Paisley said.

“Dennis Bradley is attempting to go native with republicans. He has deliberately created a situation where now his support for the police is conditional upon republicans getting their own way.

“Such a statement reveals that he does not support policing and therefore he ought not to be on the Police Board. If I or any Protestant member of the Board were to make such conditional support for the police my public position on the Board would be untenable and I would be removed.”

Mr Paisley said he would be calling on the Secretary of State to consider Mr Bradley’s comments and “determine in light of them if he is fit to remain on the Police Board”.

“Such comments will encourage dissidents to continue to attack the police in an effort to fulfil Bradley’s prophecy that nationalist parts of the province are regarded as no go areas and will not be policed without the say so of republicans,” he added.

(MB/GMCG)