PSNI cooperation with investigations in doubt

Posted by Jim on October 13, 2018

Sinn Fein has condemned the Police Federation in the North (PFNI) after
it warned that current and former members of the PSNI/RUC police would
not cooperate with the proposed Historical Investigations Unit (HIU).

Sinn Fein policing spokesman Gerry Kelly said for police to refuse to
co-operate with legally constituted bodies dealing with the legacy of
the conflict was “appalling”.

He challenged the federation to clarify whether its members are
currently withholding information about past crimes.

Mr Kelly added: “The Police Federation is supposed to be engaged in
upholding the rule of law, yet here we have them warning that they will
have no part in legal mechanisms which were agreed at Stormont House and
which are a central part of proposed new legislation to deal with the
legacy of the conflict.

“The Police Federation’s stance is in direct contravention to everything
that human-rights compliant and accountable policing should stand for.”

A separate appeal by four former British Direct Rulers to abandon legacy
investigations was described as a betrayal of victims by Sinn Fein’s
Linda Dillon.

They are part of a group of Westminster House of Lords who have argued
that investigating past British war crimes, such as Bloody Sunday,
should not be a focus of the legacy process.

The letter says it would be a “mistake” to expect a judicial outcome in
“any but a tiny percentage of crimes that have not already been dealt
with”.

Their letter was issued by Peter Hain and was co-signed by his
predecessor Tom King, John Reid and Paul Murphy, as well as former
Church of Ireland Primate Robin Eames and Chris Patten, who oversaw
police reform in the north. All the signatories were awarded lordships
and use the title ‘Lord’.

Sinn Fein victims spokeswoman said an emphasis by the peers on cash
compensation over investigation missed the point “because victims are
entitled to both”.

“The families are not naive and have stated repeatedly that even where
there is no expectation of prosecution the investigative process for
them is as much about establishing the truth of how their loved ones
died,” Ms Dillon said.

“Some of these families have been waiting nearly 50 years for the truth
about what happened to their loved ones and this letter signed by four
previous British Secretaries of State is proposing closing down that
option to them.”

Ms Dillon said the mechanisms in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement were
“key to addressing the legacy of the conflict here and they must be
implemented in a human rights compliant manner”.

SDLP policing and justice spokeswoman Dolores Kelly said the two
elements of the legacy process were not mutually exclusive. “Legacy is
not an a la cart menu, where you can pick and choose what outcome suits
you on any given day.”