A New Start: Policing in the North of Ireland
The Good Friday Agreement demands a policing service which is acceptable for both communities in the North of Ireland. As a result of the international commission dealing with this question, Chris Patten presented his report on "A New Beginning: Policing in Northern Ireland". The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) with  its more than 90% protestant officers shell be replaced by a new policing service, the NIPS, Northern Ireland Policing Service. By many members of the nationalist community the RUC  is seen as the "military wing of unionism". 

Why a new policing service is badly needed - an example ...

Thursday, September 30th, 1999:

"The Pat Finucane Centre condemns today’s decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions not to prosecute a number of RUC officers present when 25-year-old Robert Hamill was beaten unconscious in Portadown town centre. The decision only underscores the need for a root and branch overhaul of the entire system of prosecutions. It is claimed that the DPP took the decision because there was no reasonable prospect of convicting any of the officers.
In April of 1997, Robert Hamill and a friend were set upon by a mob of up to 30 loyalists. The attack took place in full view of an RUC Land Rover, 200 yards from an RUC station. Constable Neill, Reserve Constable Atkinson, Reserve Constable Cornett and Reserve Constable Sharpe – four RUC officers wearing body armour and armed with machine guns – did not intervene and remained in the Land Rover until after the attack. Robert Hamill never regained consciousness after the attack and died only days later. The RUC issued a number of contradictory and false press statements in the wake of the attack. None of the RUC officers who observed the attack have been suspended from duty. It is also believed that no disciplinary action has been taken against any of the officers, nor is any disciplinary action planned.
One wonders if the DPP had access to the reports that British Irish Rights Watch submitted to the United Nations Special Rapporteur concerning Robert Hamill’s death. One also wonders if the DPP had access to the video footage which the RUC refused to provide to the family solicitor, Rosemary Nelson.
This is but another setback for the Hamill family who have endured so much since the death of Robert. There is, however, a very real possibility that the Hamill family will now pursue a private prosecution against the RUC. We would fully support such a move."
(Press Release of the Pat Finucane Center, Thursday, September 30th, 1999)
 

... no single incident:

Many of the loyalist killings were not possible without collusion of RUC and loyalist death squads. A prominent example is the murder of  the lawer Rosemarie Nelson in March 1999. Responsibility was claimed by the loyalist killers  "Red Hand Defenders". But experts strongly believe that this group wasn't able to commit the murder without help. In September 1998 Rosemarie Nelson informed the American Congress about death threats which she received from RUC officers.   

There are countless other examples of intimidation of witnesses  by the RUC and collusion with loyalist murder gangs.

The Patten report is available at http://www.belfast.org.uk/ .

September, 1999