GAA PSNI members 'will have to declare affiliation'

GAA members of the North’s Police Service will soon be forced to declare their affiliation, it was claimed today.

The Catholic sporting body is to be added to a set of secret and cultural organisations officers must disclose involvement in, a policing board representative said.

Opus Dei, an elite Catholic grouping with links to high business and banking will also be included, according to Ian Paisley Jr.

He said: “I believe that as result of pressure from myself and others the GAA will soon be considered for listing as a notifiable organisation.”

A register of interests was introduced earlier this year as part of sweeping reforms to the force.

Under the Policing Act, brought in to implement the proposed Patten changes, associations which could be viewed as sectarian or racist, or may leave officers’ impartiality in doubt, have to be disclosed.

Chief constable Hugh Orde must be told by all his officers who belong to the Freemasons or the Catholic Knights of Columbus.

Loyalist marching bodies included the Orange Order, the Apprentice Boys of Derry and the Royal Black Institution were also included.

But even though the nationalist Ancient Order of Hibernians was also put on the register, unionists claimed the list was biased.

As the row deepened, clarification was sought from PSNI headquarters after Policing Board members raised the GAA issue.

A Chief Inspector DC McMitchell replied: “No sporting organisations were placed on the list of organisations, although it is still open to individual officers to notify the Chief Constable if they believe such should come under the definition of Section 51 (1) of the Act.”

Mr Paisley, a Democratic Unionist member of the board, claimed this was evidence that the PSNI were now prepared to change policy.

A ban on members of the security forces playing Gaelic games was only scrapped in November 2001.

The DUP man said: “It was a major oversight by the police to exclude the GAA from the original list which was not balanced and perceived to be anti-Protestant.

“The inclusion of the GAA and Opus Dei would in some short way address that imbalance.”

Although a police spokeswoman insisted the service did not intend to add any organisation, she confirmed officers would be monitoring the scheme regularly.

She said: “The register of membership for police officers was widely consulted before the current list was drawn up.

“There are no plans at present to review the list. However, the list of organisations as stated at the launch of the register will be subject to regular review.”

But Alex Attwood, one of the nationalist SDLP representatives on the board, insisted Mr Paisley was wrong and trying to stir controversy ahead of the All-Ireland football final on Sunday.

Two Ulster teams - Armagh and Tyrone - will contest the final for the first time in GAA history.

“There is no suggestion whatsoever that any sporting organisations, including the GAA, should be registered,” he said.

“This is headline grabbing before the All-Ireland with no relation to the truth.”