By Iain Gray

Copyright newsletter

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher recently revealed he’d thought of asking for help from other forces in the UK due to his homicide detectives’ high caseloads – and that was before the killing of Lisburn man Barry Furfey on Monday. The 42-year-old died in hospital after he was discovered seriously injured at an address in the Wardsborough Road area of the city. Police launched a murder investigation; a man and a woman were arrested and are being quizzed by detectives. Two Lisburn councillors say the local community has been dealt a blow by such serious violence on their doorstep, both adding they have concerns about the police’s resources. Appearing before the Policing Board a few days ago, Mr Boutcher said he had considered taking what he described as the “unprecedented” step of asking for officers from forces in Britain to be sent over to help his homicide investigators, a process known as “national mutual assistance” within UK law enforcement. Stating there had been nine murders in Northern Ireland since the end of June – now 10, with the killing of Mr Furfey – the chief constable said: “Due to the high number of cases being managed coupled with our low numbers of detectives, I considered seeking national mutual assistance for our homicide teams. “I think that would be unprecedented. Eventually, people are going to listen to the resourcing challenges of this organisation.” In the wake of the province’s tenth recent murder, however, Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck reassured that the PSNI doesn’t need outside help yet. “The recent number of murders is, of course, concerning and presents challenges for the Police Service,” he told the News Letter. However, I can confirm that the assessment at this point is that we have not met the threshold for seeking specific mutual aid for our Serious Crime Branch.” One member of the Policing Board, DUP MLA Trevor Clarke, said Mr Boutcher’s words should “serve as a stark reminder to those, most notably Sinn Fein, who appear to treat PSNI resourcing as an afterthought”. “Such an approach not only undermines the PSNI’s ability to fight and solve crime but ultimately lets down communities across Northern Ireland,” he said. Mr Furfey’s death continues to send shockwaves across Lisburn, with councillors Gary Hynds and Jonathan Craig both stating the area has been stunned by such extreme violence on the cusp of the city centre. And both voiced concerns about the police’s resources in the wake of the chief constable’s comments. “People are obviously shocked this has happened,” said Mr Hynds. “This kind of violent act is not something that Lisburn is used to, especially so close to the heart of the city – it’s on everyone’s doorstep. “It’s particularly staggering that this should happen so soon after the chief constable’s statement. It’s baffling he should be put in that position, quite frankly.” And Mr Craig said he’s convinced the police are “definitely over-stretched”. “Resourcing is clearly an issue,” he said. “You see it in community policing too, it is concerning and the government needs to step in. “This murder has left the community staggered, there’s palpable shock.”