Cops on the catwalk: it must have been a first for Northern Ireland. At last here was the unveiling of the new uniform, new badge, and new insignia for the new Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Some of the same old rows, though.
At this spring collection we had our first sight of some of the new recruits who strutted before Belfast's generally non-fashion- conscious hacks, in the Europa Hotel. After weeks of drilling, the 10 who modelled yesterday presented as a fit-looking crew who obviously, and wisely, shun the supermodel diet.
Tomorrow week they will pass out as fully fledged members of the PSNI at a grand graduation ceremony which may or may not be attended by Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne, a good friend of outgoing Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan. That's the first row. Northern police chiefs want Mr Byrne as a guest. Unionists on the Policing Board want him sidelined. The SDLP wants Sir Ronnie safely in the wings. It could all get very uncivilised.
The second row involves colours - the uniform is green, the shirt white, and the badge gold.
Some unionist politicians complained this was an insult to the police. DUP Assembly member Mr William Hay said he was swamped with calls from serving officers "deeply upset" at the colour co-ordination.
We aren't aware of any complaints, said the officers' representative body, the Police Federation, a point echoed by assist- ant chief constable Mr Alan McQuillan. "No, no - there are no political overtones to the colour," he said, not quite managing to mask his exasperation. In any case, he said, it was Patten who recommended that the uniform remain the same bottle-green worn by the RUC.
