Through his involvement in Operation Kenova, it is fair to assume that Jon Boutcher had already observed the eccentric ways in which the north’s wheels of government turn, lurch and grind.
He will therefore have known what he was letting himself in for when he took on the role of PSNI chief constable last year.
Even so, Mr Boutcher is entitled to be perplexed by the events of this week, which saw him chastised by a civil servant, in a rebuke supported by justice minister Naomi Long.
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Mr Boutcher was in trouble for making the case to the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, that the PSNI needs more funding. This has been his consistent theme since becoming chief constable. The PSNI is facing £140 million of budget pressures year and is around 1,700 officers short. Sickness levels, including mental ill health and long term conditions, are soaring. The PSNI was already at breaking point before it had to deal with this summer’s anti-migrant protests and violence.
It is unclear where exactly policing sits in the Stormont executive’s priorities. In fact, it is difficult to be certain about what the executive’s priorities are at all, because ministers have still not deigned to produce a programme for government. What is certain is that the justice minister has yet to secure the funding Mr Boutcher says he needs.
In this context, it is entirely reasonable that the chief constable knocks on every door available to him. That includes that of Number 10. Sir Keir Starmer ought to have some insight into the unique policing environment here, following his stint as the Policing Board’s human rights advisor from 2003 to 2008.
Having set out his concerns to the prime minister in writing, Mr Boutcher had the opportunity this week to do so again face to face, when Sir Keir visited Belfast and met with injured PSNI officers.
It is unclear where exactly policing sits in the Stormont executive’s priorities… it is entirely reasonable that the chief constable knocks on every door available to him, including Number 10
Stormont’s response to the chief constable’s attempts to raise awareness of the PSNI difficulties was to send him a scolding letter. The permanent secretary at the Department of Justice, Hugh Widdis, told Mr Boutcher he had acted “outside well-established financial protocols” by going to the prime minister.
The tone of the letter – copied far and wide, including to Downing Street – suggests that executive noses are out of joint because Mr Boutcher went over their heads. That argument might have some merit if he hadn’t been begging the executive for more funding for the past 10 months, but getting nowhere.
It is ludicrous that the chief constable, who is clearly fighting for the PSNI and its officers, has been placed in this position. He shouldn’t also have to battle the executive and civil service.
