British Government rules out public inquiry into report’s findings

THE British Government has ruled out calls for a public inquiry in Northern Ireland into allegations that Special Branch officers colluded in covering up murders by loyalist informers.

Following the release of the damning report by Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan, Peter Hain said he hoped it would help bring those responsible to the courts. However, he rejected calls from the family of Raymond McCord Jnr, whose 1997 murder on the outskirts of Belfast sparked the Ombudsman’s investigation, for an independent judicial inquiry into all allegations of collusion.

Mr Hain said the report had shone a light on a dark and murky period in Northern Ireland’s history and he paid tribute to Mrs O’Loan and her team.

However, the Northern Ireland Secretary said it was important to remember the policing culture in the North had now changed.

The Progressive Unionist Party, the UVF’s political wing, described the report’s findings as appalling and shameful. “This failure quite literally allowed informants to get away with murder. Our thoughts are with the families of those killed, some of whom are learning for the first time that security forces colluded in the death of their loved ones.”

Nationalist victims group Relatives for Justice said they had sent the Ombudsman’s report to Home Secretary John Reid with a call for speedy action.

Ulster Unionist Policing spokesman Fred Cobain said: “The allegations paint a picture that falls far short of the integrity and professional ethics that citizens expect of police officers.

“If such behaviour can be proven then naturally prosecutions should follow. In the absence of hard facts leading to prosecution this report will be seen as one-sided.”

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said: “I think (the report) confirms what families have been saying for a very long time, those families bereaved by collusion and state terrorism. This only deals with the issue of collusion within a tight time frame and region but collusion goes back to the 1970s.”

Democratic Unionist MP Nigel Dodds, in whose constituency most of the killings happened, said: “It would be wrong to cast aside the sacrifices made by hundreds of RUC officers and other members of the security forces as they battled against terrorism in all its manifestations.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said: “Clearly, elements of the RUC Special Branch had lost all moral compass at that time. I note that there are to be further investigations on foot of this report. Officers implicated in these appalling acts must be held accountable for their actions.”

Mark Durkan, leader of the SDLP which had suspected some police officers were collaborating with loyalists, called on Inspectorate of Constabulary’s Sir Ronnie Flanagan to resign.

Mr Flanagan was chief constable at the time.