Many high profile politicians were criticised for their presence at the funeral.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has announced that it will seek the appointment of an external senior Police Officer to oversee and direct the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s investigation of potential breaches of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020 to funeral of Bobby Storey, which took place on 30 June 2020.
The funeral received much media scrutiny, with politicians such as Arlene Foster calling on various attendees such as Mary Lou McDonald, Pearse Doherty and Michelle O'Neill to apologise. Photos from the funeral appeared to show a large gathering of people, leading to accusations that Covid-19 safety measures were breached.
Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Simon Byrne QPM advised the Chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board to make the request for an external investigation following discussion with Martin Hewitt, Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
Byrne further confirmed that "the PSNI is also in receipt of a complaint from a member of the public regarding police actions leading up to the funeral on 30 June 2020.
"This has now been forwarded to the Police Ombudsman for her consideration.”
