POLICING BOARD'S TASK UNENVIABLE
Policing Board's task unenviable
THE Policing Board faces an unenviable task as it prepares to
consider its formal response to the exhaustive and conflicting reports delivered by the police ombudsman Nuala O'Loan, and the chief constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, into the Omagh bomb investigation.
Members of the board will be studying these documents in immense detail before offering their findings at a forthcoming meeting.
However, when the tens of thousands of words from the rival camps have been assessed, the reality remains that, in terms of concrete results to date, the Omagh investigation has been a failure.
One man, Colm Murphy, was convicted in Dublin earlier this week on charges of conspiring to cause the Omagh explosion, and is due to be sentenced later today, but no-one has so far faced a murder charge. Given that the Omagh atrocity, in which 29 people and two unborn children died, was the worst crime in the history of the Northern Ireland state, this is a deeply disturbing state of affairs.
The relatives of the victims, and indeed the whole community, were assured three-and-a-half years ago that no effort would be spared to catch the killers.
As these promises have not been translated into successful prosecutions, it was appropriate that Mrs O'Loan should carefully examine the claims and counter-claims which have repeatedly surfaced about the conduct of the Omagh investigation.
It needs to be stressed again and again that the primary responsibility for the Omagh catastrophe lies with the evil fanatics from the group calling itself the Real IRA.
Unfortunately, as the central figures in this organisation have not been brought to justice for their part in planning and perpetrating the explosion, the security authorities must expect to be held accountable for their own subsequent actions.
Mrs O'Loan's contribution of last month painted an unflattering picture, to put it mildly, of the police performance, and made a series of direct recommendations.
The ombudsman's report was compelling in most respects, although it could be argued that it was unduly personal in some of its comments about Sir Ronnie and should have let the facts, as presented, speak for themselves. At the same time, the chief constable's approach to the debate was at least equally confrontational and guaranteed that he would remain firmly under the spotlight.
Sir Ronnie defended himself robustly yesterday, but his admission that errors were made in the course of the police investigation, and that unacceptable breakdowns in procedure has taken place, was telling.
Throughout the entire controversy, it can be seen that undue attention has been concentrated on the warnings which were allegedly received by police in advance of the Omagh bomb.
When the complex and frequently contradictory messages emerging from informers and intelligence operatives are distilled, it is still impossible to say with any certainty that the explosion might or might not have been avoided.
What should be open to scrutiny in a credible way is the way in which the investigation was progressed in the days, weeks and indeed years since that fateful day. Few will fully agree with Sir Ronnie's belief yesterday that the Omagh inquiry was conducted with 'energy, professionalism and vigour'.
Most of the Omagh relatives who were interviewed yesterday evening, after their lengthy meeting with the chief constable, took a very different stance.
Lawrence Rush said bluntly that he felt the investigation has been characterised by 'inadequacies and ineptitude', and other relatives, who said they needed more time to reflect on what they had been told, were plainly equally unhappy.
In all the circumstances, the main suggestion from Mrs O'Loan that a senior investigating officer from an outside force should now take overall charge of the Omagh investigation seems more justified than ever.
The introduction of a senior detective from Merseyside police, who is simply to act in an advisory capacity, is a small step in the right direction but does not go far enough.
It is now up to the members of Policing Board to resolve all these issues in a way which wins the confidence of the general public.
They have a major challenge on their hands but their constructive efforts in the comparatively short time since the new body was launched have already been impressive. We wish them well.
THE Policing Board faces an unenviable task as it prepares to
consider its formal response to the exhaustive and conflicting reports delivered by the police ombudsman Nuala O'Loan, and the chief constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, into the Omagh bomb investigation.
Members of the board will be studying these documents in immense detail before offering their findings at a forthcoming meeting.
However, when the tens of thousands of words from the rival camps have been assessed, the reality remains that, in terms of concrete results to date, the Omagh investigation has been a failure.
One man, Colm Murphy, was convicted in Dublin earlier this week on charges of conspiring to cause the Omagh explosion, and is due to be sentenced later today, but no-one has so far faced a murder charge. Given that the Omagh atrocity, in which 29 people and two unborn children died, was the worst crime in the history of the Northern Ireland state, this is a deeply disturbing state of affairs.
The relatives of the victims, and indeed the whole community, were assured three-and-a-half years ago that no effort would be spared to catch the killers.
As these promises have not been translated into successful prosecutions, it was appropriate that Mrs O'Loan should carefully examine the claims and counter-claims which have repeatedly surfaced about the conduct of the Omagh investigation.
It needs to be stressed again and again that the primary responsibility for the Omagh catastrophe lies with the evil fanatics from the group calling itself the Real IRA.
Unfortunately, as the central figures in this organisation have not been brought to justice for their part in planning and perpetrating the explosion, the security authorities must expect to be held accountable for their own subsequent actions.
Mrs O'Loan's contribution of last month painted an unflattering picture, to put it mildly, of the police performance, and made a series of direct recommendations.
The ombudsman's report was compelling in most respects, although it could be argued that it was unduly personal in some of its comments about Sir Ronnie and should have let the facts, as presented, speak for themselves. At the same time, the chief constable's approach to the debate was at least equally confrontational and guaranteed that he would remain firmly under the spotlight.
Sir Ronnie defended himself robustly yesterday, but his admission that errors were made in the course of the police investigation, and that unacceptable breakdowns in procedure has taken place, was telling.
Throughout the entire controversy, it can be seen that undue attention has been concentrated on the warnings which were allegedly received by police in advance of the Omagh bomb.
When the complex and frequently contradictory messages emerging from informers and intelligence operatives are distilled, it is still impossible to say with any certainty that the explosion might or might not have been avoided.
What should be open to scrutiny in a credible way is the way in which the investigation was progressed in the days, weeks and indeed years since that fateful day. Few will fully agree with Sir Ronnie's belief yesterday that the Omagh inquiry was conducted with 'energy, professionalism and vigour'.
Most of the Omagh relatives who were interviewed yesterday evening, after their lengthy meeting with the chief constable, took a very different stance.
Lawrence Rush said bluntly that he felt the investigation has been characterised by 'inadequacies and ineptitude', and other relatives, who said they needed more time to reflect on what they had been told, were plainly equally unhappy.
In all the circumstances, the main suggestion from Mrs O'Loan that a senior investigating officer from an outside force should now take overall charge of the Omagh investigation seems more justified than ever.
The introduction of a senior detective from Merseyside police, who is simply to act in an advisory capacity, is a small step in the right direction but does not go far enough.
It is now up to the members of Policing Board to resolve all these issues in a way which wins the confidence of the general public.
They have a major challenge on their hands but their constructive efforts in the comparatively short time since the new body was launched have already been impressive. We wish them well.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0532
Published Date: 25-Jan-02
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