RUC name traded in 'shameful' bargain

Police Federation: Anger over plans to rename RUC

The name of the Royal Ulster Constabulary is to be traded in a "shameful bargain" with nationalists seeking to destroy the force's self-esteem, officers have been told.

The comment was made by the chairman of the Northern Ireland Police Federation, Les Rodgers, during the organisation's annual conference at Templepatrick, County Antrim.

The Federation, which represents 13,000 RUC officers from the rank of constable to chief inspector, was meeting as the Police (NI) Bill entered its parliamentary committee stage.

Amendments to the Bill are now being dealt with after it passed its Second Reading in the House of Commons last week.

Mr Rodgers said changing the force's name was a "concession" to the leaders of the Social Democratic and Labour Party as well as Sinn Fein.

Les Rodgers: "Loss of name is concession"

He said: "It is meant to strike a shameful bargain whereby if we lose our name, they will endorse membership of the police service as a fitting career for young Catholics."

The SDLP and Sinn Fein are separately pushing for more than 70 changes to the Bill, to bring it back into line with the recommendations of the Patten report on the future of policing in Northern Ireland.

This report, compiled under the chairmanship of former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten, made 175 recommendations for changes to policing in Northern Ireland. These included changing the name and badge of the RUC.

Last year, the police federation handed UK Prime Minister Tony Blair a petition of 400,000 signatures demanding the name of the service be retained. But it is thought many believe they have lost the battle to save it.

'Vindictive demand'

Mr Rodgers told the conference: "The loss of our proud name is a concession to the leaders of the bitterly competing nationalist political parties.

"It is a vindictive demand by the nationalist politicians seeking to outdo each other in inflicting hurt and destroying our collective self-esteem.

"The real tragedy for the campaign to keep our name is that the proponents for and against our name have destroyed the chances of debate being conducted free of political-point scoring on increased accessibility versus loss of Britishness."

He said the police had been "shoved centre stage" in a debate "in which we did not want to be pawed over like some kind of trophy for one political party to brandish over the other".

UUP MP Ken Maginnis said he agreed with Federation's feelings

Unionists are opposed to the RUC name and emblems being dropped.

The Ulster Unionist leadership said it had received assurances on RUC reform from the government before it decided to re-enter the power-sharing government with republicans last month.

Many unionists hope the RUC's name will be enshrined somewhere in the "title deeds" of the new service.

'Pandering to lowest elements'

Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday Ulster Unionist MP Ken Maginnis said the Police Bill in its present form would "tie the hands of the police" and that his party would continue to fight for amendments in the Commons.

He added: "I agree with Les Rodgers that (a shameful bargain) is exactly what it is.

"There is no doubt in my mind and I'm sure in the mind of most Ulster Unionists that government is pandering to the lowest elements within society."

Alex Attwood: "New police service is prize"

SDLP assembly member Alex Attwood of the SDLP said nationalists recognised the unhappiness in the broader community about the RUC name change.

But reacting to Mr Rodgers' comments he said: "It's not a shameful bargain. It is an enormous prize, a prize offered to the people of Northern Ireland by Patten - a new beginning for policing.

"There is pain, but there is also a prize which should be grasped."

'Widespread call for change'

He added: "We are taking the defence of Patten into the Commons, into committee, with the community behind us, in order to try to ensure that the Bill is amended to reflect what Patten intended, not what the government interpreted."

Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly: "Broad spectrum of nationalism wants reform"

Mr Rodgers' speech followed a warning from Sinn Fein at the weekend that a crisis looming over the future of policing in Northern Ireland could have the potential to "unravel the whole peace process".

Sinn Fein MPs Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness do not take their seats in parliament and will not therefore be able to table amendments.

But Sinn Fein assemblyman Gerry Kelly said the widespread support for the full implementation of the Patten reforms across the nationalist and republican community should be taken into account.

"If all of nationalism, which is not just Sinn Fein, but SDLP and the Catholic Church, etc, is saying that this Police Bill will not work, then someone needs to stand up and listen to it and do something about it.

"There are many places throughout the world which would welcome the chance to have a complete reinvigoration and a complete new policing service and to do with the ills of the past," he added.