THEFT FROM SPECIAL BRANCH OFFICE WORRYING DEVELOPMENT, SAYS BYRNE
Theft from Special Branch office worrying development, says Byrne
SUGGESTIONS in some quarters that 'top secret' files stolen from the Special Branch office at Castlereagh had a link with the controversial investigations of the Omagh bombing have been dismissed by the police.
In a daring raid a number of top secret files containing sensitive information were taken by a gang who walked into the heart of the police station and tied up a Special Branch officer, before ransacking the office and making off with several files.
As branch headquarters for the Belfast area and a 24-hour contact for informants it is believed that the top secret files taken may contain material on informers.
Due to the knowledge of the robbers it is thought that they were familiar with the lay-out of the station and knew where exactly to go deliberately picking a time when only one member of staff would be present.
A senior security source is reported as saying: "There wouldn't be any names but it still could have implications for people.
"It's very serious and the mother of all enquiries is underway. Some of the documentation would only have been there at the weekend. It could have been worst - some material had been removed elsewhere due to refurbishment work at the police station".
A call earlier this week for a public statement from Sir Ronnie Flanagan was made by Joe Byrne, SDLP MLA for West Tyrone and member of the Policing Board.
He said: "This is a very worrying development. Highly sensitive files have gone missing and this has the potential to put lives at risk. The thieves appeared to have knowledge of the layout of the offices within the Castlereagh police complex and they knew what they were looking for".
"I believe that the Chief Constable must now make a formal public statement to clarify the matter. The Chief Constable should ensure that the investigation into this serious incident is conducted in a transparent manner and that no attempt will be made to block the investigating officer's enquiries".
SUGGESTIONS in some quarters that 'top secret' files stolen from the Special Branch office at Castlereagh had a link with the controversial investigations of the Omagh bombing have been dismissed by the police.
In a daring raid a number of top secret files containing sensitive information were taken by a gang who walked into the heart of the police station and tied up a Special Branch officer, before ransacking the office and making off with several files.
As branch headquarters for the Belfast area and a 24-hour contact for informants it is believed that the top secret files taken may contain material on informers.
Due to the knowledge of the robbers it is thought that they were familiar with the lay-out of the station and knew where exactly to go deliberately picking a time when only one member of staff would be present.
A senior security source is reported as saying: "There wouldn't be any names but it still could have implications for people.
"It's very serious and the mother of all enquiries is underway. Some of the documentation would only have been there at the weekend. It could have been worst - some material had been removed elsewhere due to refurbishment work at the police station".
A call earlier this week for a public statement from Sir Ronnie Flanagan was made by Joe Byrne, SDLP MLA for West Tyrone and member of the Policing Board.
He said: "This is a very worrying development. Highly sensitive files have gone missing and this has the potential to put lives at risk. The thieves appeared to have knowledge of the layout of the offices within the Castlereagh police complex and they knew what they were looking for".
"I believe that the Chief Constable must now make a formal public statement to clarify the matter. The Chief Constable should ensure that the investigation into this serious incident is conducted in a transparent manner and that no attempt will be made to block the investigating officer's enquiries".
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1034
Published Date: 21-Mar-02
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.