Police collusion report 'stands'

The Royal Ulster Constabulary was replaced in 2001

The finding that some police officers colluded with loyalists who murdered more than a dozen people still stands, Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan has said.

She defended her report after Northern Ireland's police union claimed the RUC's reputation was being trashed as part of a political conspiracy.

It is the strongest attack so far on Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan and the government by the Police Federation.

The Police Beat magazine said there had been a "savaging" of RUC officers.

This had been part of efforts to encourage Sinn Fein to sign up to policing, it alleged.

Mrs O'Loan rejected the claims made by the federation on her report into collusion between police and loyalists.

Her report found Special Branch had colluded with UVF members in north Belfast who killed up to 16 people.

The Royal Ulster Constabulary was replaced in 2001 by the PSNI as part of wide-ranging policing reforms in Northern Ireland, recommended in the Patten Report.

Hain's performance in making sure that Sinn Fein could see the distinction between the 'old order RUC' and newly-improved, vastly-transformed PSNI was outrageous Police Beat editorial

The Police Federation, which represents more than 9,000 current officers, rejected Mrs O'Loan's report when it was published in January, but this editorial goes much further than before.

It rejects the ombudsman's criticism of the handling of informers and said there was no evidence to substantiate her claims about collusion.

Highly critical

The editorial was also highly critical of Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain, saying his response to the report meant the faults in north Belfast "could be deemed endemic across the whole of the RUC".

"Hain's performance in making sure that Sinn Fein could see the distinction between the 'old order RUC' and newly-improved, vastly-transformed PSNI was outrageous," it said.

This report did not find policing done as it should have been, and it was my duty to report the facts as the evidence showed them to be Nuala O'Loan Police Ombudsman

"The savaging of the RUC and its former senior officers, especially ex-Special Branch, was meant to secure Sinn Fein support for the police and in achieving that objective, the report played its own strikingly timely part."

The federation will raise its concerns in a meeting with Security Minister Paul Goggins next week.

The Police Ombudsman found UVF members in north Belfast committed murders and other serious crimes while working as informers for Special Branch.

She found that Special Branch officers had given the killers immunity.

Federation chairman Terry Spence said: "We are very concerned about the timing of this report coupled with the disgraceful comments of the secretary of state, where he suggested that the old guard RUC had been transformed into the PSNI."

Mrs O'Loan said the publication of her report had been planned "long before we knew anything about Sinn Fein or their plans for an ard fheis" (on policing).

She said her report had also pointed "to the good service of so many officers in the RUC".

"We also put out evidence-based reports... most of which have actually found that policing was properly done.

"This one did not find policing done as it should have been, and it was my duty to report the facts as the evidence showed them to be."