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  Orange Standard

RUC Was One Of the Finest Forces In The World

Article 2 ~ October 2003

No matter what some of the 'know alls' of the new 'politically correct' Northern Ireland might claim, the Royal Ulster Constabulary was one of the finest police forces in the world, and most Ulster people will argue that the destruction of the force was just another sacrificial offering to the IRA and Sinn Fein.

The destruction of the RUC and its replacement by a Police Service of Northern Ireland hampered in its willingess to do the same highly efficient job as its predecessor by ridiculous and unfair sectarian recruiting to try and attract Roman Catholics, has left this province highly vulnerable to every form of crime.

The loss of some 5,500 full-time officers in the past two years and the threat now hanging over the future of the part-time Reserve of 1,800 officers, has allowed criminals the latitude to carry out their despicable crimes throughout Northern Ireland, including a serious and highly disturbing increase in assaults on senior citizens.

To rub salt into the wounds as far as the good law-abiding people in Northern Ireland are concerned, they read in the national press that police forces throughout the UK and further afield are head-hunting former RUC officers, because of their expertise.

It has even been suggested that former RUC officers and serving PSNI officers could undertake a role in war-torn Iraq, although this is hardly likely to attract many potential recruits. Indeed, the very thought of any PSNI officers being seconded to new duties in Iraq seems ludicrious, especially as nearly 100 have already been sent to Kosovo to help police that trouble spot. Northern Ireland has few enough police officers protecting the people without being stripped of more valuable officers to serve in the world trouble spots.

Those police officers squeezed out of the RUC in the aftermath of the infamous Patten 'reforms' are also being head-hunted by private security firms who value their expertise. Indeed, private security firms have also been trying to recruit former RUC officers for duties in Iraq - hardly an attractive proposition irrespective of the financial inducements being offered.

Police officers in Ulster have every reason to feel outraged at the treatment they have received, and not even the award of the George Cross to the force - an honour fully deserved - can remove that feeling of frustration and let-down.

There is also a great need for action to be taken to bring to justice the killers of over 200 RUC officers who lost their lives during the Troubles. The murder of these officers should not be regarded as being closed in order to appease republicans and disturb the sensitive "peace process".

The files on these murders of policemen, reservists, soldiers and UDR men and women should never be closed until the law has taken its course and justice achieved. Murders should never be part of a "peace process", but unfortunately that would seem to be one of the results of the Belfast Agreement.

It's encouraging too that police representatives do not favour the establishment of a so-called peace and reconciliation forum along the lines of the South African model. The Orange Standard has consistently opposed the setting up of such a forum, which could be dominated by groups representing former terrorists, with no shortage of witnesses prepared to give evidence on their behalf.

As one former policeman said on a BBC programme, commenting on this issue, Northern Ireland is a small place, and law-abiding people could be reluctant to give evidence to such a peace and reconciliation forum, as they could be targetted by extremists.

On the subject of the police, it is distasteful to say the least that candidates will be forced to disclose their membership of organisations like the Orange Order and Royal Black Institution.

These are Christian organisations, pledged to support the police in carrying out their duties on behalf of the community, and loyal to the Queen and Crown.

Why should they be required to reveal their private law-abiding activities? Will the next step be a requirement to divulge whether candidates have relatives who have served in the British forces?

The increasing list of requirements expected of police candidates is creating a 'Big Brother' atmosphere more reminiscent of Nazi Germany and Communist Russia than part of the United Kingdom.

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