Public discussion on the future of policing
by Dan O'Neill
Sinn Fein spokesperson on Policing and Justice, Bairbre de Brun
addressed a packed meeting on Monday night, March 22, in the Fort
Lodge Hotel, Enniskillen entitled ``the Future of Policing''.
Murdered Lurgan solicitor Rosemary Nelson had been due to address the
meeting and in one of two resolutions accepted by the floor, ``a
completely independent international inquiry, free from any
involvement by the RUC, into the murder of Rosemary Nelson'', was
passed.
The second was, ``to form a committee whose purpose is to facilitate
further debate and discussion on the future of policing''
The 300 strong meeting, chaired by Fr Joe McVeigh, heard calls from
Ms de Brun for a police service which, ``is representative of the
community it serves and is accountable to the community and to the
law.
``We need a policing service whose function is to uphold the law, not
to uphold a political union with Great Britain, not to uphold the
political ideals of one section of society'', she continued.
The Sinn Fein Assembly member also called for a policing service
which respected the Irish identity.
``We need a routinely unarmed, fair and accountable police service. We
feel that a new police service should reflect an Irish identity and
certainly should not be hostile to Irish identity.
``Community policing should not just be an add-on to the present
top-down, heavy handed militaristic style of policing that exists at
present. We should take the opportunity to set up a new approach to
policing, based on human rights norms.
``We don't believe in tinkering with the RUC can ever produce
something acceptable to all society. We need to create a new service
that people will want to be part of'', she concluded.
Also addressing the meeting was local solicitor Mr Frank McManus.
Mr McManus related his experience of RUC holding centres and said
that he had ``written countless letters to the Independent Commission
for Police Complaints about a large number of RUC officers for human
rights abuses but no one ever had been even disciplined, let alone
prosecuted''.
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