THE POLICE officers who first responded to the fatal St Patrick’s Day disco crush that killed three teenagers are being investigated, it has been confirmed.
Morgan Barnard, 17, Lauren Bullock, 17, and Connor Currie, 16, died following a crush near the entrance to the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown on Sunday, March 17th.
It has now come to light that the officers initially withdrew from the scene.
In a statement issued to the Press Association, Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable George Hamilton confirmed the officers had been referred to the independent police watchdog..
The decision came after a review of the initial police response.
“The ongoing investigation into the tragic events at the Greenvale Hotel is active and wide-ranging,” he said.
“As part of that investigation, it is right and proper that the actions of all those involved are considered.
“Part of the investigation has included a review of the initial police response.
“The first police officers arrived at the hotel grounds shortly after receiving the 999 report.
“Following their initial assessment, they made attempts to establish more detail and information about what was happening and subsequently withdrew to await further police support.
“When the first ambulance arrived, police moved forward in support of them.
“The timing and nature of police actions during this period require further investigation to fully establish the facts.
“The Chief Constable has therefore decided that the initial police response should be subject to independent scrutiny and it is in the public interest to refer the circumstances and the nature of the actions of the first officers arriving at the scene to the Police Ombudsman.
“The families have been informed of the referral.
“The confidence of the families and the confidence of the communities we serve are at the forefront of our minds in our decision to refer this matter to the Police Ombudsman.
“We will work with the ombudsman to support whatever action he undertakes and would ask that people do not speculate or prejudge the outcome of the ombudsman’s investigation.”
Police Ombudsman Dr Michael Maguire will now examine the police response to the initial 999 call, which was made at around 9:30pm that night.
