Jon Boutcher confirmed as interim chief constable of the PSNI

Jon Boutcher, the former police chief of Bedfordshire, has been confirmed as the interim chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Mr Boutcher has recently been conducting an investigation into the activities of Stakeknife, the Army’s top agent in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

The Operation Kenova report is expected to be published in the coming months.

The PSNI vacancy arose following the resignation of Simon Byrne following a number of controversies.

These included a significant data breach in which the personal details of all officers and staff were mistakenly published online and a critical High Court ruling that said that two junior officers had been unlawfully disciplined.

PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton is currently leading the force, although he is not at his desk following a medical procedure.

Speaking about the interim appointment, Policing Board chairwoman Deirdre Toner said: “The appointment of Jon Boutcher as interim chief constable will bring stability to the leadership of the PSNI and the service executive team until the substantive appointment chief constable process has been completed.

“The board looks forward to working with Mr Boutcher and the wider service executive team as we progress the issues and pressures currently facing policing.”

SDLP Policing Board member Mark H Durkan has welcomed the appointment of Jon Boutcher as the interim Chief Constable of the PSNI.

Mr Durkan said that Mr Boutcher would have an important role to play in stabilising the PSNI after a difficult few months.

The Foyle MLA said: “I welcome the appointment of someone of the calibre of Jon Boutcher as interim Chief Constable of the PSNI. It has been an incredibly difficult few months for policing in the North that has significantly damaged public confidence in our police service and even threatened our new beginning to policing. The SDLP has dealt with Mr Boutcher throughout the Operation Kenova process and I have confidence that during his interim period in the role he will do all he can to steady the ship.

“The situation facing the PSNI is stark. We are still dealing with the fallout of the data breach which has taken a heavy toll on officers and staff, the current policing budget makes it impossible to provide the services that communities expect, the PSNI is also dealing with serious issues around morale and culture that need to be addressed and we still don’t have a police service that is truly representative of the people it serves. We need renewed and real efforts to recruit more officers from a nationalist background, from newcomer communities and from working class areas. 

“Dealing with the problems facing our police service will require a long-term strategy and significant restructuring of both the PSNI and the Policing Board itself. We look forward to working with Mr Boutcher during his time in this role and will be seeking a meeting with him in the coming days. This is an important period for the PSNI ahead of the appointment of a permanent Chief Constable and Mr Boutcher will have our full support as he works to address the issues that have emerged in recent months.”

Mr Boutcher previously applied to become PSNI chief constable in 2019 but lost out on that occasion to Mr Byrne.

The job advertisement for the temporary role said the successful candidate will be in the post for a minimum of three months, with the potential for further extension.

The salary for the job is £219,894 a year.

Applications for the permanent chief constable role will close on October 16.

The appointment panel will be made up of Policing Board chair Deirdre Toner; DUP member Joanne Bunting; Sinn Fein’s Gerry Kelly; the Alliance Party’s Nuala McAllister and independent board member Mukesh Sharma.

Northern Ireland’s new police chief will have a number of issues to deal with, including a budget crisis facing the force.

Senior officers have estimated that security and legal costs from the major data breach could potentially cost the force £240 million.

Last week, the Supreme Court issued a ruling on a long-running legal claim over holiday pay, which could see the force having to make back payments of tens of millions of pounds.