Durkan furious at Police Federation comments

The SDLP has reached angrily to claims by the North’s Police Federation that lives could have been saved if the party had been more supportive of policing in the past.

Irwin Montgomery, a spokesman for the federation, claimed the lives of 302 police officers killed during the Troubles could have been saved if the SDLP had supported the RUC.

SDLP leader Mark Durkan said the comments ignored his party’s consistent opposition to violence and he called for them to be withdrawn immediately.

He said Mr Montgomery had done nothing but expose his own prejudices.