Policing / MI5
Policing
Plastic Bullets/ CS Spray/ Taser
MI5
Policing:
- The Policing You Don’t See (
)
Covert Policing and the accountability gap: Five years on from the transfer of ‘natiional security’ primacy to MI5
- Critical CAJ report on Office of the Police Ombudsman available online: Independent human rights group, the Committee on the Administration of Justice, have published a highly critical report on the Office of the Police Ombudsman (PONI) at a press conference in Belfast. The Police Ombudsman is responsible for investigating complaints against the PSNI including 'historic' complaints regarding killings by the RUC and/or allegations of collusion between the RUC and loyalists. PONI has come in for sharp criticism from the former Chief Executive of the Office, Sam Pollock, who announced his resignation recently
See www.caj.org.uk for an online copy of the report
- PFC submission () on draft legislation on parades & protests
- Press release () re suspension of section 44 and appeal by chief constable
- Cold case team ‘must change’ says academic (Belfast Telegraph, 17 September 2008)
The report referred to in this article was leaked while still in draft format. When the final report is published we will link to the final version.
Much controversy surrounds the decision to engage or not with the HET. The PFC policy is one of critical engagement on behalf of families. We will shortly publish a document outlining the rationale for this and the arguments for and against (December 2008).
- The Irish News and Daily Ireland published an open letter from the PFC to PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde on April 19 2005. The letter was our response to contradictory statements issued by the NIO and the PSNI in respect of the Historical Enquiry Team or HET. Since publication of the open letter the HET team has confirmed that their role and remit is as outlined by the PFC.
See also the paper submitted by PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde to a colloquium staged by the School of Religions and Theology and the Irish School of Ecumenics at Trinity College Dublin on June 10, 2005 ()
See recent updates and links regarding UK Terrorism Bill provided by Statewatch:
- Briefings on the Prevention of Terrorism Bill currently before the British parliament. Many regard the current Bill as a further onslaught on fundamental civil liberties and human rights
- Following publication of the report of the Independent Commision on Policing (the Patten Report) an Oversight Commissioner was appointed to oversee implementation of the 175 recommendations for the overhaul of policing structures. The reports of the commissioner can be accessed at www.oversightcommissioner.org
- The Walker report - Internal RUC instructions governing the interchange of intelligence between RUC Special Branch and the CID.
- In May 2002 the European Court of Human Rights found that the British Government had violated Article 2 of the ECHR (the right to life article) in a number of controversial lethal force cases in the North of Ireland. See the ruling here
- A Submission to the Independent Commission into Policing
- "Dancing on the graves of the state's victims", an article published in the Irish News by the PFC on 4th June 1999.
- Statement issued by 33 lawyers from throughout the North on 14.1.1998
- In November the PFC was asked to make a submission to the Parliamentary Select Committee on the issue of Policing. This is our submission.
- PFC Press Release from May 19th 1997 detailing for the first time the statistical breakdown by gender and religion of RUC members, including the total Catholic recruitment to the RUC over the last three years.
See also weekly news updates 14 July, 20 July, 27 July, 24 Sept, 30 Sept, 16 Oct, 30 Oct, 8 Nov, 8th June and 15th June, and 27th April and in the same issue 27th April
An extensive archive on policing is also available for those who can visit our office in Derry.
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"In The Line of Fire" - a report on events in Derry 10-14 July 1996 following from the "Drumcree Standoff".
This document was based on interviews with over one hundred eye-witnesses to the events in which the RUC and British Army fired several thousand plastic bullets and killed one civilian.
It was published simultaneously on the WWW and on paper within two weeks of the events on which it reported.
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One Day in August - A report on human rights abuses by the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) during and after the Apprentice Boys march in Derry on 12 August 1995. Originally published in 1995 this much sought after document is now out of print. It is now available for the first time on the web. A must for those who want a good introduction to the parades issue in Derry and elsewhere.
Plastic Bullets/ CS Spray/ Taser:
- Protesters say NO to Plastic Bullets, Guildhall Square, Derry, 31 May 2001 in an event organised by the PFC. The new, more deadly version, the L21A1, was introduced the following day
- Following publication of the Patton Report a Steering Group was set up by the NIO to research a less lethal alternative to plastic bullets and make recommendations on equipment for public order policing. The Steering Group failed to find an alternative and has also failed to consult as widely as promised. The four reports of the Steering Group are available here:
MI5:
- The Policing You Don’t See
()
Covert Policing and the accountability gap: Five years on from the transfer of ‘natiional security’ primacy to MI5
- Following revelations of MI5 complicity in the torture of Jamil Rahman, Reprieve calls on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to publish British intelligence gathering rules as promised - see here for Reprieve website
- SORRY (Newry Democrat, January 17, 2007)
- MI5 Questions - Parlamentary questions asked in May 2006 by Mark Durkan MP concerning MI5 ()
- UK: The head of MI5 (the UK's internal security service), Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, has submitted a statement to the Court of Appeal in the House of Lords on the use of intelligence from a third state which may have been obtained by the use of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment. (September 2005)
Submission by head of MI5 () (PFC note - MI5 was also involved in the murder of Pat Finucane)
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