THE CHIEF CONSTABLE COULD HAVE OFFERED MORE THAN HE DID - MICHAEL GALLAGHER
The Cheif Constable could have offered more than he did' - Michael Gallagher
THE initial reaction of relatives' group chairman, Mr. Michael Gallagher, was one of disappointment when he spoke to reporters immediately after leaving the meeting with Sir Ronnie Flanagan.
Said Mr. Gallagher: "You've seen his performance many times, I'm sure. It hasn't differed. He was very impressive in his deliverance, but many of the questions he answered, and indeed the other team members, we were not happy with.
"I felt very disappointed. I think the Chief Constable could have offered more than he did, that he could go some way to meet Nuala O'Loan.
"It appears what he is saying is 'we have done nothing wrong apart for some minor administrative errors' and that is hard to accept.
"I think it definitely won't end here. We are going to move this forward. The people who planted this bomb, who planned it, who continue to plan, are out there, and unless we do something as a group of victims, they will continue."
A public inquiry into the whole Omagh affair might be the only way to find out who was right and who was wrong, he said.
"We are only here for the truth, we are not going to get involved in the fight between Nuala O'Loan's office and the Chief Constable's office. We are far above that," said Mr Gallagher.
Continued Mr. Gallagher: "If this crime had been committed in London, and look at the number of major crimes that were committed in England over the period since the Omagh bomb, people are either in due process or have been convicted.
"And yet here we have 31, including two unborn children, and over 600 families affected and still we have only somebody, who wasn't even a bomber, in jail at the moment."
Mr Gallagher attacked the dismissal by Sir Ronnie of the recommendation from the ombudsman that an officer from an outside force should be brought in to lead the Omagh investigation.
What had been done instead had been "tinkering" and a "cosmetic exercise" in bringing in an officer from Liverpool to assist.
He added that the families had little hope that there would be convictions in Northern Ireland on the basis of the police investigation as it was being run at present.
Confidence
Speaking later, Mr. Gallagher said nothing he had heard had given him any confidence that things would change in the investigation.
And he said that immediately after the meeting with Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the families had discussed withdrawing their support for the investigation altogether and calling for a full public inquiry.
"We decided to stop short of that, because we felt we needed more time to reflect on what we had heard and the material we were given. People felt we could still be sitting here in 10 years with the same sort of answers at the same sort of meetings. What we need is action."
He said the families were not in a position to judge whether or not Nuala O'Loan's report was right. But is seemed there were some very obvious things that could be done, yet the Chief Constable seemed to be saying these would not make any difference.
THE initial reaction of relatives' group chairman, Mr. Michael Gallagher, was one of disappointment when he spoke to reporters immediately after leaving the meeting with Sir Ronnie Flanagan.
Said Mr. Gallagher: "You've seen his performance many times, I'm sure. It hasn't differed. He was very impressive in his deliverance, but many of the questions he answered, and indeed the other team members, we were not happy with.
"I felt very disappointed. I think the Chief Constable could have offered more than he did, that he could go some way to meet Nuala O'Loan.
"It appears what he is saying is 'we have done nothing wrong apart for some minor administrative errors' and that is hard to accept.
"I think it definitely won't end here. We are going to move this forward. The people who planted this bomb, who planned it, who continue to plan, are out there, and unless we do something as a group of victims, they will continue."
A public inquiry into the whole Omagh affair might be the only way to find out who was right and who was wrong, he said.
"We are only here for the truth, we are not going to get involved in the fight between Nuala O'Loan's office and the Chief Constable's office. We are far above that," said Mr Gallagher.
Continued Mr. Gallagher: "If this crime had been committed in London, and look at the number of major crimes that were committed in England over the period since the Omagh bomb, people are either in due process or have been convicted.
"And yet here we have 31, including two unborn children, and over 600 families affected and still we have only somebody, who wasn't even a bomber, in jail at the moment."
Mr Gallagher attacked the dismissal by Sir Ronnie of the recommendation from the ombudsman that an officer from an outside force should be brought in to lead the Omagh investigation.
What had been done instead had been "tinkering" and a "cosmetic exercise" in bringing in an officer from Liverpool to assist.
He added that the families had little hope that there would be convictions in Northern Ireland on the basis of the police investigation as it was being run at present.
Confidence
Speaking later, Mr. Gallagher said nothing he had heard had given him any confidence that things would change in the investigation.
And he said that immediately after the meeting with Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the families had discussed withdrawing their support for the investigation altogether and calling for a full public inquiry.
"We decided to stop short of that, because we felt we needed more time to reflect on what we had heard and the material we were given. People felt we could still be sitting here in 10 years with the same sort of answers at the same sort of meetings. What we need is action."
He said the families were not in a position to judge whether or not Nuala O'Loan's report was right. But is seemed there were some very obvious things that could be done, yet the Chief Constable seemed to be saying these would not make any difference.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1007
Published Date: 31-Jan-02
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