Chief Constable at the Police Service of Northern Ireland Simon Byrne
Last night.
The BBC reported:
The Chief Constable [of the PSNI] Simon Byrne has told Boris Johnson the PSNI will not police any customs checkpoints on the Northern Ireland border after Brexit.
Mr Byrne had a 30 minute video call with the prime minister last Friday.
He also told Mr Johnson he had “no plans to put police officers on any one of 300 crossings” along the border.
Brexit: PSNI ‘won’t police customs checkpoints’, says chief constable (BBC)
Pic: BBC
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He has the look of someone who’s seen it all, done it all, and doesn’t take crap from politicians anymore
He’s 100% right.
So who’s going to patrol the border? The army?
Field Marshal Mark “Perfidious Albion” Francois, Esq.
Nigel Rhymes-with-garage will be his 2IC, but no duties for him during pub opening hours.
I wonder if Charger Salmons could be convinced to come out of retirement to act as batman?
Who patrols it now? Mr Lunney might say “No one , it’s a free for all” .
Customs officials?
Border Force presumably, the arm of HMRC that deals with goods and peoples checks at borders. They were illegally deployed at Belfast Central rail station in August, with protection provided by the PSNI Musgrave Station. I don’t think we’ll be seeing them again at that station.
Border Force is unarmed, so they’ll need PSNI or British Army protection to do their job at any border posting between north and south. As Theresa May herself said during the summer before she departed to the backbenches, any attempt at erecting surveillance infrastructure at the border would attract hostilities, so I can’t see Border Force deployed unless they have Army backup.
Of course, the deployment of the British Army on border roads would be like a red rag to a bull.
Can you back any of that up with evidence? namely
(a) the alleged “illegal deployed at Belfast Central” and
(b) why the Border Force would need armed protection.
They were deployed at Belfast central and it got a very large WTF- and not just from nationalists or republicans ether..
Common sense should tell you that it will only a matter of time before the PSNI will be called out to incidents involving customs- especially in places like South Armagh.
He’ll do what he is told , when he is told. Nonsense / non-news.
the dup speaks..
Agreed- if civil disturbances break out- the PSNI will have no choice but to attend.
That’s exactly what I thought, SOQ.
And likewise for our lot. I fear the domino effect.
And- when some clown digs up a gun or Semtex from somewhere, we are back to square one.
There will be united Ireland before it gets to that stage.
If Harold from Neighbours ever got angry he would look like this man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjgKKOdVRx4
He’s absolutely right, I hope he stands over it now
Mrs Windsor’s Customs & Excise will need a top up in their budget allocation
as well as the Home Office Passport control
and be deployed to the Nordie lines of the Commonwealth