FAMILIES GIVEN BRIEFING ON BOMB INVESTIGATION
Families given briefing on bomb investigation
By Maeve Connolly
OMAGH families have given a cautious welcome to an external report into the police investigation of the Real IRA bomb on August 15 1998.
A woman pregnant with twins was among 29 people killed, but as the fifth anniversary of blast approaches the father of one victim said he is concerned that no-one has ever been charged with murder.
Presenting his report into the Omagh probe yesterday, Merseyside Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Mike Tonge said the investigation had gained "new momentum" and he was hopeful the culprits could be brought before the courts.
However, Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the blast, said "time would tell" whether this confidence was misplaced.
"The new senior investigating officer is very capable and has our support but it is coming up to the fifth anniversary and the families feel weary that not one person has been charged with murder in Omagh," he said.
Mr Gallagher said "significant progress had been made" in forensic science since 1998 and this, coupled with new systems put in place by the Merseyside team, would enable police to better tackle murder inquiries.
Earlier this week the Omagh families called for a cross-border investigation similar to the Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday and yesterday Mr Gallagher expressed his disappointment in the "delay" of a report into allegations that the Garda failed to act on intelligence relating to dissident activity before the Omagh bomb.
He said a three-man team had been due to report back in November 2002. However, a Garda spokeswoman said yesterday that findings were not yet ready for publication.
Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Tonge and his two colleagues were appointed by the Policing Board following a damning report from Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan into the handling of the bomb probe.
DCC Tonge, Detective Chief Inspector Clifford Evans and Detective Chief Superintendent Philip Jones were brought in to monitor and move forward the police investigation and were to be fully accountable to the Policing Board.
Speaking yesterday DCC Tonge praised the Northern Ireland police service and associated agencies for being "helpful and constructive" in terms of moving the probe forward and added that there had been cooperation between police north and south of the border.
"There's no hiding the fact we have been able to open doors that perhaps in the past would not quite have been so open," he said.
"I'm pleased to say I have not had a blockage in any area. Every request made has been granted."
The senior officer in charge of the overall investigation, Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kincaid, labelled the report "professional and effective" but added that much more work was necessary.
By Maeve Connolly
OMAGH families have given a cautious welcome to an external report into the police investigation of the Real IRA bomb on August 15 1998.
A woman pregnant with twins was among 29 people killed, but as the fifth anniversary of blast approaches the father of one victim said he is concerned that no-one has ever been charged with murder.
Presenting his report into the Omagh probe yesterday, Merseyside Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Mike Tonge said the investigation had gained "new momentum" and he was hopeful the culprits could be brought before the courts.
However, Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the blast, said "time would tell" whether this confidence was misplaced.
"The new senior investigating officer is very capable and has our support but it is coming up to the fifth anniversary and the families feel weary that not one person has been charged with murder in Omagh," he said.
Mr Gallagher said "significant progress had been made" in forensic science since 1998 and this, coupled with new systems put in place by the Merseyside team, would enable police to better tackle murder inquiries.
Earlier this week the Omagh families called for a cross-border investigation similar to the Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday and yesterday Mr Gallagher expressed his disappointment in the "delay" of a report into allegations that the Garda failed to act on intelligence relating to dissident activity before the Omagh bomb.
He said a three-man team had been due to report back in November 2002. However, a Garda spokeswoman said yesterday that findings were not yet ready for publication.
Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Tonge and his two colleagues were appointed by the Policing Board following a damning report from Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan into the handling of the bomb probe.
DCC Tonge, Detective Chief Inspector Clifford Evans and Detective Chief Superintendent Philip Jones were brought in to monitor and move forward the police investigation and were to be fully accountable to the Policing Board.
Speaking yesterday DCC Tonge praised the Northern Ireland police service and associated agencies for being "helpful and constructive" in terms of moving the probe forward and added that there had been cooperation between police north and south of the border.
"There's no hiding the fact we have been able to open doors that perhaps in the past would not quite have been so open," he said.
"I'm pleased to say I have not had a blockage in any area. Every request made has been granted."
The senior officer in charge of the overall investigation, Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kincaid, labelled the report "professional and effective" but added that much more work was necessary.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0592
Published Date: 04-Apr-03
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.