CHIEF CONSTABLE VOWS TO CATCH OMAGH BOMBERS
Chief constable vows to catch Omagh bombers
By Michael O'Toole
Dublin Correspondent
CHIEF Constable Ronnie Flanagan yesterday vowed the RUC and Garda Siochana would catch the Real IRA bombers responsible for the Omagh atrocity.
And, speaking at a Crimestoppers conference in Dublin, Mr Flanagan said co-operation between the two police forces could not be better.
But he warned that the RUC would not become complacent - even though most paramilitary groups were on ceasefire.
Mr Flanagan refused, however, to be drawn into the decommissioning controversy. The chief constable said his force was ready to take down the barriers between itself and the community -but added it was ironic that those who were responsible for those barriers were now calling most loudly for their removal.
He said: "The people of Ireland can be reassured at the level of co-operation between the RUC and An Garda Siochana - it has never been of a higher, order.
"In relation specifically to the investigation in Omagh, we have two operation rooms in direct communication with each other - one in Carrickmacross the other in Omagh
"It is typical and it manifests the very close cooperation we enjoy.
"That investigation is proceeding very satisfactorily.
"I have no doubt - and I am not going to speculate on the time frame - that we will bring to justice those who carried out that atrocity."
He also said there was a minimal threat at the moment from the Continuity IRA - the only paramilitary group not on ceasefire.
He said: "At the moment (The CIRA threat) can't be considered to be of a high order but it cannot be ignored either.
"All of these organisations who say they are on cessations are holding firmly to those cessations.
"But we cannot be complacent because they do retain a capability and we must maintain our capability to protect the public against any threat."
Referring to decommissioning, he said: "Decommissioning is on the political front and must firmly remain in the political arena.
"As far as the unlawful possession of explosives and firearms is concerned our job is very simple.
"It is our job to find out where they are to recover them and to make amenable to the law anybody unlawfully holding them.
"My attitude is very simple: there shouldn't be any unlawful holding of firearms and explosives and 1 will do all that I can to find out where such munitions are.
"Decommissioning is a different issue - that's for governments, that's 'for politics and that's the arena in which it firmly must stay." Mr Flanagan said his force was fully open to change and welcomed the independent commission headed by Chris Patten, set up to review policing in Northern Ireland.
By Michael O'Toole
Dublin Correspondent
CHIEF Constable Ronnie Flanagan yesterday vowed the RUC and Garda Siochana would catch the Real IRA bombers responsible for the Omagh atrocity.
And, speaking at a Crimestoppers conference in Dublin, Mr Flanagan said co-operation between the two police forces could not be better.
But he warned that the RUC would not become complacent - even though most paramilitary groups were on ceasefire.
Mr Flanagan refused, however, to be drawn into the decommissioning controversy. The chief constable said his force was ready to take down the barriers between itself and the community -but added it was ironic that those who were responsible for those barriers were now calling most loudly for their removal.
He said: "The people of Ireland can be reassured at the level of co-operation between the RUC and An Garda Siochana - it has never been of a higher, order.
"In relation specifically to the investigation in Omagh, we have two operation rooms in direct communication with each other - one in Carrickmacross the other in Omagh
"It is typical and it manifests the very close cooperation we enjoy.
"That investigation is proceeding very satisfactorily.
"I have no doubt - and I am not going to speculate on the time frame - that we will bring to justice those who carried out that atrocity."
He also said there was a minimal threat at the moment from the Continuity IRA - the only paramilitary group not on ceasefire.
He said: "At the moment (The CIRA threat) can't be considered to be of a high order but it cannot be ignored either.
"All of these organisations who say they are on cessations are holding firmly to those cessations.
"But we cannot be complacent because they do retain a capability and we must maintain our capability to protect the public against any threat."
Referring to decommissioning, he said: "Decommissioning is on the political front and must firmly remain in the political arena.
"As far as the unlawful possession of explosives and firearms is concerned our job is very simple.
"It is our job to find out where they are to recover them and to make amenable to the law anybody unlawfully holding them.
"My attitude is very simple: there shouldn't be any unlawful holding of firearms and explosives and 1 will do all that I can to find out where such munitions are.
"Decommissioning is a different issue - that's for governments, that's 'for politics and that's the arena in which it firmly must stay." Mr Flanagan said his force was fully open to change and welcomed the independent commission headed by Chris Patten, set up to review policing in Northern Ireland.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0424
Published Date: 02-Oct-98
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