TRUTH IS THE ULTIMATE LOSER IN SORRY AFFAIR
Truth is the ultimate loser in sorry affair
We are regularly informed by those inside and many outside the new Policing Board that it is a body with real teeth and real power but let us look at the two important decisions it has been asked to take so far. Patton recommended that the new Police badge consist of neutral symbols but what has our brave new Policing board achieved? They have juggled with the old symbols, the Crown, the Harp and the Shamrocks and incorporated them all in the new badge. A new beginning? How are you.
Next up their recommendations in the Ombudsman report into the RUC/ PSNI investigation into the Omagh bombing. After dismembering Nuala O'Loan's report limb by limb they go on to assert in agreement with Ronnie Flanagan that the Omagh bomb could not have been prevented. How cowardly of them.
Let's look briefly at the facts. The Police received two if not more warnings. One on August 4th 1998 warning of an impending gun/bomb attack on the security forces in Omagh on August 15th 1998 (the actual day of the bomb) and the other by agent Kevin Fulton on August 11th 1998 warning of an imminent bomb attack somewhere in the North. The RUC we are informed by such luminaries as Ken Maginnis and Ronnie Flanagan were the best trained, best equipped, most disciplined and most effective police force anywhere in the world. Yet they could not have put both warnings side by side and just maybe concluded that Omagh was the target on that terrible day. Ronnie's response was to suggest incredibly that had they known of the impending attack on the security forces in Omagh on August 15th they would have withdrawn security personnel to avoid casualties. The word bravery again comes to mind.
The Policing Board has done a grave disservice to the public to Nuala O'Loan and more importantly to those killed, injured and their relatives by their cop out on the Ombudsman report. We may never know with certainty whether the Omagh bomb could have been prevented such attacks with a lot less intelligence than they had about the Omagh attack? I would suggest many hundreds.
Truth has been the ultimate loser in this sorry affair and it is to their eternal shame that the Policing Board has now adopted the cover up politics of the Northern Ireland Office
Padraig McOscain
We are regularly informed by those inside and many outside the new Policing Board that it is a body with real teeth and real power but let us look at the two important decisions it has been asked to take so far. Patton recommended that the new Police badge consist of neutral symbols but what has our brave new Policing board achieved? They have juggled with the old symbols, the Crown, the Harp and the Shamrocks and incorporated them all in the new badge. A new beginning? How are you.
Next up their recommendations in the Ombudsman report into the RUC/ PSNI investigation into the Omagh bombing. After dismembering Nuala O'Loan's report limb by limb they go on to assert in agreement with Ronnie Flanagan that the Omagh bomb could not have been prevented. How cowardly of them.
Let's look briefly at the facts. The Police received two if not more warnings. One on August 4th 1998 warning of an impending gun/bomb attack on the security forces in Omagh on August 15th 1998 (the actual day of the bomb) and the other by agent Kevin Fulton on August 11th 1998 warning of an imminent bomb attack somewhere in the North. The RUC we are informed by such luminaries as Ken Maginnis and Ronnie Flanagan were the best trained, best equipped, most disciplined and most effective police force anywhere in the world. Yet they could not have put both warnings side by side and just maybe concluded that Omagh was the target on that terrible day. Ronnie's response was to suggest incredibly that had they known of the impending attack on the security forces in Omagh on August 15th they would have withdrawn security personnel to avoid casualties. The word bravery again comes to mind.
The Policing Board has done a grave disservice to the public to Nuala O'Loan and more importantly to those killed, injured and their relatives by their cop out on the Ombudsman report. We may never know with certainty whether the Omagh bomb could have been prevented such attacks with a lot less intelligence than they had about the Omagh attack? I would suggest many hundreds.
Truth has been the ultimate loser in this sorry affair and it is to their eternal shame that the Policing Board has now adopted the cover up politics of the Northern Ireland Office
Padraig McOscain
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/0979
Published Date: 21-Feb-02
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.