A plan to remove the words Northern Ireland from signs outside PSNI stations and badges on uniforms and vehicles has been abandoned after an angry political backlash.
Unionist politicians had branded the move unacceptable and urged the PSNI Chief Constable to drop his proposal and not the words.
The proposed new branding had included using the term Police Service NI as opposed to the PSNI.
The words Northern Ireland would not have appeared on any signs or crests in public view, including uniforms, vehicles, police stations and social media platforms.
They would only have appeared on internal headed note paper and on formal occasions.
Before being appointed Chief Constable last year, Simon Byrne spent his career policing in England and his plan would have brought PSNI branding in line with other police forces in UK.
He posted images of the proposed new images and a video explaining his aim on Twitter last week.
"This review sits within our broader ambition for a more visible, accessible, responsive and community focused police service," he said.
The PSNI said the aim was to make the branding more consistent and simplified.
"The reason that the crest in one sample has been simplified and all text removed is to make it user friendly for digital social media platforms," it said in a statement.
"The wording and some elements are illegible and very small when used on a number of platforms."
It said the name of the Police Service of Northern Ireland is set in law and would not be changing.
Unionist politicians responded with anger.
Names and symbolism remain deeply sensitive and controversial issues in Northern Ireland.
The proposed new police would have included the letters NI, which clearly denote Northern Ireland.
But unionists said that was not acceptable.
For them, this is not like changing the name of PriceWaterhouseCoopers to PWC, Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC or the Marathon bar to Snickers.
Many regard the very name Northern Ireland as a political brand and part of their identity.
Next year will mark the centenary of its formation.
"The name to the people here is very important," explained DUP MLA and Policing Board member Mervyn Storey.
"It is disgraceful that there are people in the Assembly here who constantly refer to Northern Ireland as 'the North'. It is the most most derogatory way in which they use the name of Northern Ireland.
"Northern Ireland is it’s proper, legitimate name and that’s what it should be called."
He accepts that the branding and image of the PSNI replaced the RUC in November 2001, but says changing its crest and signage in the way proposed would be a step too far.
That view was shared by Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie.
The former British army officer also accepts that the PSNI image needs modernised, but said the proposed changes had to be abandoned.
"There is absolutely no reason to change the crest," he said.
"It is unacceptable, it is clearly wrong, he has got that wrong and he needs to explain why he would do that with all public facing signs."
Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister Naomi Long has stressed that the proposed changes were being put out to public consultation and could not be implemented without new legislation.
"The Chief Constable does not have the power to change the PSNI crest, nor does he have the power to change the name," she told BBC Northern Ireland this morning.
"The crest, the badge and the name of the Police Service of Northern Ireland are enshrined in legislation and the only way that can be changed is through primary legislation."
Former Assistant Chief Constable Alan McQuillan served in both the RUC and the PSNI.
He was one of those involved in what he describes as the "tortuous political negotiations" that resulted in the name and emblems of the Police Service of Northern Ireland being agreed and enshrined in law.
To change them would require new legislation to the passed by the Stormont Assembly.
"Frankly, to suggest dropping Northern Ireland at this stage is a real political hot potato and to hand that to the Assembly just when they’re getting back on their feet, I don’t [think] that’s very sensible," he said.
My statement about our re-branding proposals. pic.twitter.com/ZVM7Brvr6S
— Simon Byrne (@ChiefConPSNI) June 9, 2020
This evening, the Chief Constable backtracked.
In a statement, he said the version of the PSNI badge without the words Northern Ireland will not be used and will not form part of a public consultation on modernising the organisation.
"In the spirit of openness I was prepared to test other ideas and was keen to start an initial conversation," the statement added.
"I want to move away from the use of the acronym PSNI and focus more on the word 'police'. I am keen to develop this. Indeed, our social media platforms have recently been updated to reflect this.
"We will continue with our plans to launch our public consultation later this year and would welcome feedback and contribution from all our communities to help shape the look and feel of the Police Service of Northern Ireland."
This type of rebranding exercise would almost certainly have been approved without debate from any other police force in any other part of the UK.
But in Northern Ireland, names and symbols are often toxic issues. The use of Derry or Londonderry is a classic example.
