Police Beat, Dec 1999

Cover Image Description: Sub-headlines: Christmas Messages. Harp and Crown Credit Union. Personal Finance Advice. Photo of group of people with caption "Mr William Hague, Leader of the Conservative Party, listens to the concerns of those directly affected by 30 years of violence (Charlie McConaghy (DPOA), Hazel McCready (DPOA), Elsie Finlay (RUC Widows Association)." Headline: Goodbye to all that. Cover article text: This year, this century and indeed this millennium is ending on a wave of optimism if not exactly euphoria as the past thirty years of terrorism and civil strife are followed by the inauguration of a new government which represents the broad Northern Ireland political spectrum. The opportunity for a new beginning for all the people of these islands is there to be seized so that life can become safer for police officers, politicians and the whole community. We will not be out of the dangerous woods until there is permanent resolution of the decommissioning problem but we have had a good beginning. It has been hard earned. The price of an imperfect peace has been horrendous and our thoughts, particularly with the award of the George Cross to the Royal Ulster Constabulary, must be with our colleagues, killed or injured and their families at this time and always. The full price of peace must not include the abolition of the title and associated symbols of the RUC. To concede a name change remains unthinkable and would be an act of revenge on the Force by our critics rather than a constructive initiative which genuinely seeks an all inclusive police service. The Police Authority of Northern Ireland has been an authoritative contributor to the debate on the name and demonstrated through sound research that Patten's recommendation on the name alienates too many people to have any validity as a way of extending community support. Equally, we cannot discard the fulltime reserve officers who have given so much over the years serving alongside their regular colleagues. The quality of the peace would not justify any wholesale standing down of such a sizeable proportion of the uniformed presence of the RUC without leaving areas seriously underpoliced. Existing manpower provision for policing across Northern Ireland is already overstretched and it is difficult to see at this stage when demilitarisation is in prospect and while community tension is possible, the circumstances in which their role could end. As we go forward the priority must be the re-establishment of the police as the first and only resort for all law and order matters bringing to an end paramilitary beatings and extortion of communities. When that is achieved, along with decommissioning, perhaps then we can say goodbye to all the horror of the last three decades and rebuild our communities.