Reforms of RUC 'steal its soul'

A senior RUC officer in the North has attacked the British Government's policing reforms.

Addressing a police conference whose audience included Northern Secretary John Reid, Bill Lowry, president of the Superintendent's Association, said the reforms would steal the RUC's soul.

He warned that the force was badly under-funded and was not equipped to deal with paramilitary gangs.

While insisting that his organisation objected to only 2% of the Patten reforms, he said those demanding inquiries into RUC misdemeanours were out to crush the force, rather than establish the truth.

He also predicted more turbulence ahead for the North, with growing activity by both republican and loyalist dissidents and a violent marching season.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that a total of 332 people from the Republic have applied to join the new police service.

There have been 262 applications from Britain, with the total figure at almost 8,000.