PSNI – Page 6 – Slugger O'Toole

RAAD interview on Newsnight prompts more questions

Brian Walker on June 21, 2012, 12:24 pm

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Newsnight’s featured report last night by the excellent Liz MacKean on RAADS in Derry (extract) was a welcome if depressing reminder to the wider audience that is hasn’t all gone away you know. RAAD boasted that they have all the “resources” of the IRA. This is what you’d expect them to say, in the interview which was restaged with the use of actors. Just as graphic in the report was the sight of rubble and graffiti, the debris of a disturbed community, among so much …

Governing alcohol consumption: Who are the winners?

stephen.mcvey on May 30, 2012, 2:10 pm

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“Excuse me mate, the only reason you could possibly want to go into this club is to get drunk as a skunk, so get back in the car.” A Belfast taxi man has confidently told me that people in his profession are the most knowledgeable people around when it comes to what’s happening on our streets. Robert said that when he took passengers from Lavery’s bar in Belfast to a nightclub at 00.45 on May 26th; the PSNI were waiting …

“Police will consider the comments made by Judge Weir…”

Pete Baker on May 5, 2012, 4:18 pm

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They should, because it’s good advice. From a Belfast Telegraph report Mr Justice Weir criticised the PSNI for relying on advice from unelected community spokesmen. The judge claimed that he had a “considerable sense of unease” concerning the credence that had been given to views from certain groups or individuals. “The police would do very well to distance themselves from them, rather than getting in with them,” said Judge Weir. A report in the Irish News has some more detail Initially …

Derrytresk GAC call off police road safety event under local public pressure…

Mick Fealty on April 27, 2012, 8:59 am

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Front page on the Irish News this morning Connla Young reports that the Ulster Council of the GAA have a scheme called Play to Live… It runs it in partnership with the Fire and Rescue Service, the PSNI and in the three southern counties of Ulster, An Garda Siochana… But an event planned for Monday evening was called off by the club after local local people threatened to picket the event on learning that the PSNI would be involved in …

“…involved in criminal activity of any sort within G District from July 1, 2010 to July 28, 2011”

Pete Baker on April 20, 2012, 2:53 pm

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Given the PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggot’s current concern about certain communities, and confidence, here’s a Londonderry Sentinel report that may be of relevance. It relates to an incident in the city in August 2010 which, at the time, was blamed on dissenting republicans. From the Sentinel report At the time locals said that around 20 masked men appeared in the Campion Court area having disembarked from a white van. They began to remove materials intended for use at a bonfire …

“in order to ensure the safety of the community and the officers responding…”

Pete Baker on April 8, 2012, 11:14 pm

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The BBC reports that the PSNI have defended the delay of over an hour before officers arrived at the scene of a car bomb alert in Newry on Saturday night. Unlike the security alert on Friday in the Newry area, this one was eventually declared a hoax. From the BBC report A hijacked taxi, containing a suspect device, was abandoned close to houses on Martins Lane on Saturday night. Residents used their own cars to block the road and tried …

Chief Constable on NI Media: “they are part of the confidence-building…”

Pete Baker on March 28, 2012, 7:53 pm

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The PSNI Chief Constable, Matt Baggott, has been speaking to the Leveson Inquiry about the Northern Ireland media. From the BBC report Mr Baggott said: “The local media in Northern Ireland have an absolute commitment to the future of the province. “They have a stake in it. And they are part of the confidence-building and they have an ownership of the issues.” Mr Baggott said the local media also understood the consequences of the way something was reported, and the consequences …

“The agency’s investigation has produced evidence of what might be characterised as a lawless lifestyle”

Pete Baker on February 27, 2012, 10:04 pm

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The BBC reports the delayed start of the Serious Organised Crime Agency’s [SOCA] application for a civil recovery order of property and assets belonging to Seamus Francis Mullan. A former member of the Provisional IRA who was serving a life imprisonment sentence for the 1985 murder of an off-duty RUC officer before being freed on early release licence in 1998, Mullan was arrested in 2006 on money laundering and fraud charges – at the time he was described in court as a “disaffected republican”. Subsequently, the …

Are we seeing Increasing frustration from old securocrats or mounting pressure against the former IRA leadership?

Brian Walker on February 14, 2012, 11:17 am

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Eamonn McCann gives an absorbing analysis in Counterpunch, co- edited by Alexander Cockburn the Independent’s highly critical reporter of “the war on terror,” of the linkages between the Omagh bomb and the Boston College tapes. A key figure is former Chief Superintendent Norman Baxter, who is now one of a number of former RUC and PSNI officers working for Col Tim Collins’ New Century security consultancy in Afghanistan. Others will know much more about Baxter than I. Since his retirement …

Boston College: A glimpse of the archive…

Pete Baker on January 24, 2012, 4:55 pm

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Let’s keep the dialogue ‘hinged’ this time. With Ed Moloney and Anthony McIntyre aiming to try to head the US Government off at the pass, the legal battle over each ruling along the way continues in the PSNI/HET’s attempt to access some of the material in the Boston College Belfast Project archive. In the meantime, however, Boston-based lawyer, Ted Folkman has been following the legal arguments. And he’ll be live-blogging today’s hearing [7pm GMT – Added link]. He’s already noted …

“he will remain available to exercise any legal authorities required beyond the delegated authorities”

Pete Baker on January 18, 2012, 2:31 pm

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As the BBC reports, the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman, Al Hutchinson, has appointed Colin Lewis as Interim Chief Executive for the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. From Colin Lewis’ profile [pdf file] In 1991 Colin entered the Northern Ireland Civil Service as an Industrial Accountant with the Industrial Development Board (IDB) and specialised in business appraisal. In 1995 he transferred to the post of Project Manager in the Inward Investment Group of IDB and played a major …

“They do absolutely fantastic work in some very challenging areas”

Pete Baker on January 17, 2012, 7:29 pm

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“They” being the 304 former RUC officers currently employed by the PSNI as civilians on temporary contracts. They’re part of the 399 civilian staff on such contracts supplied by a recruitment agency. And I’m sure the other 95 civilian staff are also appreciated. From the BBC report The PSNI has previously revealed that it is currently using the services of 399 staff supplied by a recruitment agency on temporary contracts. In a letter to the Policing Board, it has now revealed that …

“That would require approval by the justice committee, the executive and by the assembly as a whole”

Pete Baker on December 21, 2011, 11:18 pm

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According to the BBC report’s headline -“Justice minister may look into the rehiring of RUC officers”. Well, he may. At issue, apparently, are the unknown number of former RUC officers in the 399 staff currently supplied by a recruitment agency for temporary employment, as civilians, by the PSNI. Apparently, again, “Sinn Fein has asked the Northern Ireland Audit Office to investigate the issue.” [Because the NI Policing Board decided not to? – Ed] Possibly… But as the first linked BBC report notes of the …

PSNI & Security Service [MI5]: “a sound working partnership and one that is to be commended”

Pete Baker on December 21, 2011, 1:41 pm

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The Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, has “received and welcomed a report from Lord Carlile of Berriew on the operation of arrangements for handling national security matters in Northern Ireland for the year to date.” But he’ll not be publishing it “given its sensitive nature”. From the NI Secretary of State’s statement The report points out that there have been serious incidents during 2011, including the murder of P.C Ronan Kerr in Omagh in April and states that the …

“Shaun Woodward ordered his recall on the basis of what his legal team have described as ‘closed material’.”

Pete Baker on December 19, 2011, 5:16 pm

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The BBC reports that Martin Corey has been “granted leave to seek a judicial review of the decision to revoke his licence over unspecified allegations that he was involved with dissident republicans.” The 61-year-old from Lurgan, County Armagh had been released on licence in 1992, having served 19 years of a life sentence for the murder of two RUC officers. In April last year, then Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Shaun Woodward, as the BBC report notes, “ordered his recall on the …

“Something, Something, Something, Dark Side…”

Pete Baker on December 14, 2011, 6:35 pm

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The last time Sinn Féin wheeled out little known placeman, and non-public representative, Declan Kearney, in November 2009, the party was trying desperately to raise the stakes over the devolution of policing and justice powers – while muttering about “the NIO spooks and PSNI’s political detectives“. What he’s doing out of his box again is anyone’s guess… ANYhoo, here’s the script this time Sinn Fein’s support for democratically accountable policing is unambiguous, but it is not unconditional. We have repeatedly said that our Party …

European law states investigations into state killings must be fully independent

John Ó Néill on December 2, 2011, 11:56 pm

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Last week, as flagged by Pete, it was being reported that: The Historical Enquiries Team cannot investigate them because European law states investigations into state killings must be fully independent. As the HET is accountable to the chief constable, it cannot investigate killings by police officers. A whole week later, it appears that the Historical Enquiries Team do actually report on cases where police officers were involved in killings (see Turgon’s thread on Loughgall, where the RUC’s HMSU took part as …

“His willingness to attend a Sinn Féin ard fheis sometime next year will not resolve this…”

Pete Baker on November 5, 2011, 5:02 pm

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In the Belfast Telegraph Liam Clarke notes Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly’s ‘lukewarm’ response to Chief Constable Matt Baggott’s generous offer to speak at the next SF ard fheis. From the Belfast Telegraph article Gerry Kelly, the party’s policing spokesman, said: “While it is an interesting suggestion, and presumably the party will give it due consideration, the ard fheis is not until next May, so it’s far too early to suggest who will be invited.” ….. Mr Kelly amplified his criticism …

“Sinn Féin controls our area…”

Pete Baker on September 21, 2011, 4:23 pm

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Here’s an interesting report from the Sunday World, transcribed on Newshound. It starts by noting complaints from some parents in the Derrybeg Estate, Newry, that they were misled by Sinn Féin into sending their children on a PSNI sponsored trip. A mother-of-two told Sunday World: “Sinn Féin members knocked doors asking if we wanted to send our kids on a two-day trip to Co Tyrone. They didn’t tell us the PSNI was helping fund it. “I was suspicious and refused but other parents …

“David Ford’s department is like Jurassic Park.”

Pete Baker on September 12, 2011, 8:53 pm

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Apparently, according to BBC NI’s Martina Purdy, Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly, MLA, Northern Ireland Junior Minister Policing Board member, gave “a fiery speech on the Police Ombudsman” at the party’s ard fheis at the weekend. It’s not listed in the party’s collection… [Added by AlaninBelfast …] In the Irish News today, Diana Rusk says he went “off script” when telling the Chief Constable, Matt Baggott, that he “must face down the dinosaurs” in the PSNI. Being “off script” might explain why Gerry Kelly seems to have borrowed his …