UK News
Northern Ireland reports reveals 'police collusion' in murders (Updated)
Jan 22, 2007, 12:20 GMT
Belfast/London - A damning report into policing in Northern Ireland published Monday alleged there was large-scale collusion between the security forces and a militant Protestant paramilitary group in the late 1990s.
The report, compiled by Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan, alleged that members of the extremist paramilitary group, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), were involved in at least 10 murders in Belfast while working as police informers.
Some officers of the Special Branch - the name for undercover police operations - protected the killers and made sure they were not caught, the report said.
In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair immediately described the report as 'deeply disturbing' and said it dealt with events that 'should never have happened.'
The report, which took three years to prepare, comes at a damaging time for the peace process in Northern Ireland, with politicians in the province under pressure from the governments in Britain and Ireland to restore devolution by the end of March.
One of the stumbling blocks in the negotiations to restore a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland has been the reluctance by grassroot members of Sinn Fein, the main nationAlist party led by Gerry Adams, to back policing and judicial structures in the province.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Tell us some thing we dont already know. People ( sensable people ) knew that there was collusion for years and years , and this is just the tip of the ice burge.
Dirty Police , dirty state.. time for change.
and we wonder why wars are necessary?
Shame on the cover up, and shame on the delayed release of the report until such a critical time.
Keep in mind the police were up against catholic terrorists and under these circumstances any method employed was reasonable. Look what Blair has done in Iraq/Afghanistan etc.
Jay Tunnerhill,
I'm sorry to say that, it is attitude like yours, that keeps people fighting with one another with no end. There is no excuse for injustice. There is a moral right which must be upheld at all costs and through all time.
Brogue
I applaud Nuala O'Loan for having the courage to stand up against the powers that be, when it is unjust, and bringing it to light at the highest level, knowing full well the pressures that will be brought upon the 'whistle blower'.
Giving into terrorists will never achieve anything. Its mushy thinking that has the World in such a perilous state today.
It is no coincidence that the cathilic terrorists collapsed after 9/11 as their funding was cut off from the US.
page: 1
Now... Now... Now...Jan 22nd, 2007 - 12:57:15
Investigate all. Root out the corrupt, end the hatred. Let justice equally take its course. Now, can we all get along?
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