Top officers to discuss corruption in ranks

The author of a report into collusion between the security forces and paramilitary killers in Northern Ireland is to attend a Belfast conference into corruption within police force ranks.

British Metropolitan Commissioner John Stevens will attend the three-day event, organised by Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan, which will involve discussions on police use of force.

More than 200 delegates are expected to attend the conference, including the heads of police complaints systems in South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong and Canada.

A garda spokesman could not confirm whether any representative of the Garda Síochána would attend the conference.

A spokesman for the Ombudman's Office in the North said the event "was open to anyone with an interest in police accountability, whether from a practical, enforcement or academic point of view".

Officers will be told of the demands placed on Northern Ireland’s police service as it undergoes extensive reforms in a bid to gain support from both sides of the sectarian divide.

With police accountability in the spotlight, the key issues set to be explored include identifying and managing officers at risk of corruption, public order policing, police ethics and human rights.

So-called restorative justice schemes, public confidence in the police and how forces can operate acceptably in a counter-terrorism environment will also be explored.

Mrs O’Loan’s office has confirmed that John Stevens will attend the conference, planned for November.

He has spent 14 years probing allegations that covert police and military units aided the loyalist terrorists who murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane in February 1989.

Earlier this year, he issued a damning report confirming there was collusion between intelligence operatives and the paramilitaries.

Mrs O’Loan claimed the numbers due to arrive in Belfast proved Northern Ireland has gained an impressive reputation in this area.

She said: “Many countries have been watching our new system for police complaints and, obviously, are impressed with the way we handle what can be very difficult issues.

“Northern Ireland is now seen internationally as the place with the most up-to-date thinking on the issue of police complaints.”

Meanwhile, it has emerged the Brazilian and Portuguese governments want Mrs O’Loan to advise them on aspects of policing.

With violence raging in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the authorities in Brazil are pushing through a programme of reform.

Officials have contacted the Ombudsman’s Office to ask Mrs O’Loan to speak to them.

Christopher Stone, President of the Vera Institute of Justice, who made contact with the Ombudsman’s office, said the new President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, believed establishing police professionalism, effectiveness and integrity was essential.

“This is a crucial moment for public safety and for police reform, not only in Brazil but also throughout Latin America,” he insisted.

“The Police Ombudsman’s experiences and insights are greatly needed.”

Mrs O’Loan has also been asked by the Portuguese Government to join a six-person panel of experts to look at issues around the police use of force. The request was made by the country’s Ministry of Interior.