PSNI resources will 'be stretched' over official Joe Biden visit to Northern Ireland

The US President is making his first official visit to Northern Ireland next month to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement peace deal.

Speaking to the BBC in Washington DC, Mr Byrne said hundreds of extra officers, some of them specialists, would be drafted in from across the UK.

He added that the PSNI would need extra cover to deal with day-to-day policing pressures during the visit.

"If you think of the busy period across our summer months we don't normally ask for help from other parts of the UK," he told the BBC.

He added that despite the pressure on resources “we've shown time and time again that we can step up to the challenge, even in tough times”.

The Chief Constable is in Washington for events to mark St Patrick's Day – where politicians and other figures from NI, the Republic of Ireland, the UK and the US.

The date of Mr Biden's visit has not been confirmed but there is speculation he could attend a conference at Queen's University Belfast, which runs from 17 to 19 April.

In January the PSNI announced it would reduce staff by 6% over the coming months.

The force, which is not recruiting in 2022-23, said the cut would leave it with 6,700 officers, making it the smallest it has ever been.