REPORT HAD DEVASTATING EFFECT ON MORALE
Report had devastating effect on morale'
THE report by the Police Ombudsman into the Omagh bomb investigation has had a devastating effect on the morale of all in Northern Ireland, former Secretary of State Mr. Peter Mandelson has said.
And, writing in The Times on Friday, Mr. Mandelson came to the defence of the Chief Constable.
He said: "Nuala O'Loan may have found the Chief Constable edgy and proud. But I can assure her that she, the new police service and all its accountability paraphernalia would not exist but for Ronnie Flanagan.
"His leadership skills have carried Northern Ireland's police into a new era, with help from those in politics and civil society who have backed him, and to describe him in such terms [as the report did] is deeply unjust and does a disservice to the new beginning in policing that is underway."
Mr. Mandelson said he felt deeply for the relatives of those who had died, and for those who had been injured in the blast.
"They are still grieving and despairing at the absence of prosecution of those widely believed to be responsible for the killings. They will be angered by a report that creates the impression that the whole atrocity could have been avoided.
"In fact this is not what is says, and I would ask them to listen to the police defence before making a final judgment."
Mr. Mandelson went on to say that while he was in office his view had been that the role of the Ombudsman was to investigate specific complaints and uncover wrongdoing by the police. A compromise was reached in which the Ombudsman was allowed to make more general
observations.
Pressure
But, said Mr. Mandelson, the pressure on Mrs. O'Loan by some to use her office to 'get at' the police had not ceased.
He went on to comment on the work of Special Branch and military intelligence.
"It has been said that the surveillance is such, and the penetration so successful, that there is nothing that moves without the police knowing about it. True, the security operation is necessarily extensive and the intelligence available to the police and the Secretary of State is considerable. But a fog still remains around some of what is planned and executed until it happens, but which time it is too late," he said.
Mr. Mandelson he had planned to have a reception at Hillsborough for Special Branch and the intelligence community, but had left office before that could happen.
"I wish I had remained to hold my reception because, notwithstanding the widely accepted need to overhaul aspects of its organisation, the achievements of Special Branch and those associated with them far outweigh their deficiencies," he said.
Commenting on the report, Mr. Mandelson said it was probably right for Mrs. O'Loan to issue her report if she had been convinced of the relevance of what he called a "dubious" telephone call - but not in the language she had employed.
"I am afraid that to pit the 'testimony' of a self-confessed liar, as Fulton is, against the reputation of a Chief Constable of Flanagan's integrity and courage was wrong and offensive."
THE report by the Police Ombudsman into the Omagh bomb investigation has had a devastating effect on the morale of all in Northern Ireland, former Secretary of State Mr. Peter Mandelson has said.
And, writing in The Times on Friday, Mr. Mandelson came to the defence of the Chief Constable.
He said: "Nuala O'Loan may have found the Chief Constable edgy and proud. But I can assure her that she, the new police service and all its accountability paraphernalia would not exist but for Ronnie Flanagan.
"His leadership skills have carried Northern Ireland's police into a new era, with help from those in politics and civil society who have backed him, and to describe him in such terms [as the report did] is deeply unjust and does a disservice to the new beginning in policing that is underway."
Mr. Mandelson said he felt deeply for the relatives of those who had died, and for those who had been injured in the blast.
"They are still grieving and despairing at the absence of prosecution of those widely believed to be responsible for the killings. They will be angered by a report that creates the impression that the whole atrocity could have been avoided.
"In fact this is not what is says, and I would ask them to listen to the police defence before making a final judgment."
Mr. Mandelson went on to say that while he was in office his view had been that the role of the Ombudsman was to investigate specific complaints and uncover wrongdoing by the police. A compromise was reached in which the Ombudsman was allowed to make more general
observations.
Pressure
But, said Mr. Mandelson, the pressure on Mrs. O'Loan by some to use her office to 'get at' the police had not ceased.
He went on to comment on the work of Special Branch and military intelligence.
"It has been said that the surveillance is such, and the penetration so successful, that there is nothing that moves without the police knowing about it. True, the security operation is necessarily extensive and the intelligence available to the police and the Secretary of State is considerable. But a fog still remains around some of what is planned and executed until it happens, but which time it is too late," he said.
Mr. Mandelson he had planned to have a reception at Hillsborough for Special Branch and the intelligence community, but had left office before that could happen.
"I wish I had remained to hold my reception because, notwithstanding the widely accepted need to overhaul aspects of its organisation, the achievements of Special Branch and those associated with them far outweigh their deficiencies," he said.
Commenting on the report, Mr. Mandelson said it was probably right for Mrs. O'Loan to issue her report if she had been convinced of the relevance of what he called a "dubious" telephone call - but not in the language she had employed.
"I am afraid that to pit the 'testimony' of a self-confessed liar, as Fulton is, against the reputation of a Chief Constable of Flanagan's integrity and courage was wrong and offensive."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0971
Published Date: 20-Dec-01
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