WARNINGS NOR ENOUGH TO PREVENT BOMBING
Warnings not enough to prevent bombing'
A police service of Northern Ireland synopsis of its full response to the Ombudman's report into the police investigation of the Omagh atrocity
A comprehensive statement was presented to relatives of the 29 people killed and those injured in the Omagh atrocity by Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan at a private meeting in the County Tyrone town today, January 24, 2002. They were also given briefings by the detective leading the Omagh investigation and by senior officers from An Garda Siochana.
The meeting, which was chaired by Northern Ireland Victims Commissioner, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, was attended by senior PSNI officers and forensic experts who are involved in the investigation.
The statement, which runs to 28 pages, provides a compelling response to unfounded criticisms in the Ombudsman's report of 12 December 2001 and sets the record straight about what police did, and what they knew, before and after the explosion in Omagh on 15 August 1998.
Its key findings include:
>Information from an informant known as Kevin Fulton and anonymous information in a phone call on August 4, 1998 was properly assessed by police and could not have prevented the Omagh bombing.
>Some procedures for the handling and dissemination of information were not as good as they should have been. Systems have been changed to ensure there can be no recurrence. Even if Fulton's information had been processed correctly it could not have prevented the Omagh Atrocity.
>Special Branch is not a force within a force. It provides an essential service to the Police Service and the wider community. Its intelligence has formed a key part of the Omagh investigation on both sides of the border.
>The review of the Omagh bomb investigation was not a re-investigation but an integral part of the main investigation. It made 274
recommendations, of which 180 are relevant to the Omagh investigation. Others were either duplicates or relative to matters of policy and training.
>Police believe they know who carried out the Omagh bombing and how they did it. They have analysed 6.4 million telephone calls and seized three of the four mobile phones used by bombers. The intensive search continues to find vital additional evidence necessary to bring the perpetrators before the courts.
>Accusations of a lack of judgement, leadership and urgency against senior officers are unsustainable. The investigation has been driven with energy, professionalism and determination. 89% of all actions raised during the investigation (over 6,000) were completed within three months and 99% within a year.
>PSNI rejects allegation that a lack of co-operation with the Ombudsman. It stands ready to work with the Ombudsman's office, but is entitled to expect the same high standards of professionalism, rigour, openness and fairness the are rightly expected of it.
A police service of Northern Ireland synopsis of its full response to the Ombudman's report into the police investigation of the Omagh atrocity
A comprehensive statement was presented to relatives of the 29 people killed and those injured in the Omagh atrocity by Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan at a private meeting in the County Tyrone town today, January 24, 2002. They were also given briefings by the detective leading the Omagh investigation and by senior officers from An Garda Siochana.
The meeting, which was chaired by Northern Ireland Victims Commissioner, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, was attended by senior PSNI officers and forensic experts who are involved in the investigation.
The statement, which runs to 28 pages, provides a compelling response to unfounded criticisms in the Ombudsman's report of 12 December 2001 and sets the record straight about what police did, and what they knew, before and after the explosion in Omagh on 15 August 1998.
Its key findings include:
>Information from an informant known as Kevin Fulton and anonymous information in a phone call on August 4, 1998 was properly assessed by police and could not have prevented the Omagh bombing.
>Some procedures for the handling and dissemination of information were not as good as they should have been. Systems have been changed to ensure there can be no recurrence. Even if Fulton's information had been processed correctly it could not have prevented the Omagh Atrocity.
>Special Branch is not a force within a force. It provides an essential service to the Police Service and the wider community. Its intelligence has formed a key part of the Omagh investigation on both sides of the border.
>The review of the Omagh bomb investigation was not a re-investigation but an integral part of the main investigation. It made 274
recommendations, of which 180 are relevant to the Omagh investigation. Others were either duplicates or relative to matters of policy and training.
>Police believe they know who carried out the Omagh bombing and how they did it. They have analysed 6.4 million telephone calls and seized three of the four mobile phones used by bombers. The intensive search continues to find vital additional evidence necessary to bring the perpetrators before the courts.
>Accusations of a lack of judgement, leadership and urgency against senior officers are unsustainable. The investigation has been driven with energy, professionalism and determination. 89% of all actions raised during the investigation (over 6,000) were completed within three months and 99% within a year.
>PSNI rejects allegation that a lack of co-operation with the Ombudsman. It stands ready to work with the Ombudsman's office, but is entitled to expect the same high standards of professionalism, rigour, openness and fairness the are rightly expected of it.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0533
Published Date: 25-Jan-02
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