Any soldier or police officer who acted outside the law, during Northern Ireland’s Troubles, was “completely wrong and completely out of order”, according to NI Conservatives’ co-chair, Trevor Ringland. He made his comments ahead of a BBC Panorama documentary which will make allegations about the conduct of an undercover unit in the army.
“We should always be absolutely clear that anyone who acted outside the law during the Troubles, whether they were republican, loyalist or a member of the security forces, was wrong and their actions were unjustified”, Trevor emphasised. “The context of violence at that time might help to explain, but it doesn’t provide an excuse.”
“What we certainly shouldn’t lose sight of, when the small number of incidents which involve members of the security forces breaking the law are scrutinised, is that the army and the police saved thousands of lives in Northern Ireland. They prevented our province from descending into outright civil war and, overwhelmingly, they kept people safe.”
“Neither should we forget that over 1,000 members of the security forces were killed and thousands more injured, during the Troubles. 1,400 murders from the Troubles remained unsolved today and a significant proportion relate to the killing of soldiers or police officers. One of the most important reasons that we can’t excuse the behaviour of security force members who stepped outside the law, is because they brought shame upon the vast, vast majority who risked life and limb to keep us safe from the terrorist threat.”