RUC on PR offensive
The RUC have begun a PR offensive in the wake of one of their
officers being criticised in the official inquiry into the racist
murder of 18 year old black teenager Stephen Lawrence.
Superintendent Jonathan McIvor, the newly appointed RUC
sub-divisional commander in Enniskillen, has rejected the criticisms
made of him in the report. However, analysis of his claims and the
report do not match up.
McIvor was a Chief Inspector with the English Metropolitan Police
based in Plumstead in April 1993 when Lawrence was murdered.
McIvor claims that it was not, in his view, his responsibility to
take command at the scene of the incident. However, the report tells
a different story, ``this is a matter of considerable surprise since
we regard Mr McIvor as an important person in the chain of command.
As the senior Divisional uniformed officer on duty it is our view
that Mr McIvor was the man who ought to have taken charge and ensured
that there was co-ordination and correlation between those present as
to the steps which were being taken at the scene''.
McIvor, talking about his actions at the scene, said, ``given the
nature of the incident and the background of racial tension in the
area there was, in my view, a real danger that it could spark public
disorder and I went back to the station and discussed with a senior
officer how that could be avoided.''
The fact that McIvor failed to meet his responsibilities is
underlined by his Divisional Chief Superintendent at the time, Mr
Philpott, who said McIvor's role was for the area in relation to
public order and ``to take over uniformed ground control of that (the
Stephen Lawrence) incident''.
All of this comes as McIvor is being defended by the RUC's Ronnie
Flanagan.
McIvor may be acceptable as a good officer by the RUC but to
nationalists he will never be acceptable and the RUC's acceptance of
an officer who has blatantly failed to meet his responsibilities and
subsequently tried to cover this up by making out an incident report
booklet five months after the incident further highlights the fact
that the RUC have no role to play in a new Ireland.
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