NI Conservatives’ co-chair, Trevor Ringland, has called upon politicians and the media to offer a more balanced critique of the security forces’ contribution to preventing loss of life in Northern Ireland. He made his comments following the publication of a new book, by the Pat Finucane Centre, which makes fresh allegations about ‘collusion’.
“This type of publication will always attract a great deal of media attention, but there is a need for coverage to be balanced by a more thorough look at the past”, Trevor explained. “The Northern Ireland Retired Police Officers Association is very clear that any member of the force who broke the law should be punished. Those few offenders damage the reputation of the vast majority of officers, who showed incredible bravery and prevented Northern Ireland from descending into chaos.”
“We should never forget that the police and army saved many thousands of lives during the Troubles. Their courage was one of the main factors which stopped a fully-fledged civil war from developing. 302 RUC officers were murdered during the years between 1969 and 2001, while almost 70 committed suicide and 10,000 were injured. Policemen and women were left to deal with the aftermath of horrific terrorist atrocities and have borne the mental and physical scars ever since, while the perpetrators most often fled the scene.”
“The RUC, in particular, was at times attacked by both perceived sides in the Troubles. Some simple statistics give the lie to claims that it systematically colluded with loyalists. For instance approximately 50% of murders committed by loyalists were solved, whereas only about 30% committed by republicans resulted in successful prosecutions. They charged 8,000 loyalists with terrorist / serious public order type offences, as a result of police investigations between 1972-2001. It’s also a sad fact that former police officers and soldiers are the victims of the Troubles least likely to have their full stories told now, because the things they could tell about former paramilitaries would destroy the peace process.”
“Where police officers or soldiers acted outside the law, it was disgraceful and their actions were an affront to their colleagues. Sometimes, though, allegations against the security forces seem to be a constant stream and the sources need to be fully challenged to expose any alternative agendas. It is deeply unfair not to balance these accounts, given that police officers and soldiers were the people charged with keeping the public safe. For the most part they did an incredible job and it is because of their bravery that Northern Ireland today has a hopeful future.”