Superintendents express support for PSNI chief

The Superintendents' Association in the North has expressed its full support for PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde, who said yesterday that he faced opposition to reform from within his own ranks.

In a statement released today, the association's chairman, Peter Sheridan, said: "We are 110% behind him. There is no disloyalty among his senior officers."

Irwin Montgomery, the chairman of the Police Federation, also said the chief constable had the federation's full support.

In a speech yesterday to the national committee on US foreign policy, Mr Orde said: "There are people who want me to fail. Some of those people are within my organisation."

His comments were criticised by the DUP's Ian Paisley Jnr, who said they portray Mr Orde's "paranoia and lack of confidence".

Mr Paisley said: "He should be leading from the front instead of sniping from 3,000 miles away."

The DUP has consistently opposed all plans to reform the North's police service.