Sinn Féin Meets PSNI Chief Constable
A Sinn Féin delegation led by Party President Gerry Adams MP, and including Policing spokesperson Gerry Kelly, Caitriona Ruane, Michelle Gildernew MP and Alex Maskey met the PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde at PSNI Headquarters in Knock this afternoon. Speaking after the meeting Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said:
‘Sinn Féin’s focus in all of our engagements with the PSNI - indeed with
all of the policing structures - will be to ensure that it carries out its
duties and responsibilities in a fair and impartial way, as a civic police
service, which is democratically accountable to the public.
Policing with the community needs to be the core function of any civic
policing service and especially in relation to protecting the most
vulnerable sections of the community. That is the elderly, women and
children, and those subject to homophobic, sectarian and racist attacks
and car crime and death riders.
Political, civic and community leaders have an important role to play here
also. Significant progress has been made in recent years and months to
ensure that we have the necessary threshold for the new beginning to
policing promised in the Good Friday Agreement. But like all new
arrangements progress will be dependent upon the implementation of what
has been agreed.
The recent report by the Police Ombudsman and the wider issue of Collusion
meant that this issue formed a significant part of today’s meeting.
Another issue of concern which we raised with the PSNI Chief Constable is
that of inquests. Today marks the 15 anniversary of the ambush at Clonoe
in which four IRA Volunteers were killed by the SAS. The families of these
men want truth about the deaths of their loved ones, and are worried that
the PSNI may use Public Interest Immunity Certificates to withhold
information and evidence from Coroners Courts. Dozens of inquests have
been held up for over two decades.
Other matters we raised with Mr. Orde and his colleagues include the
demilitarisation of policing structures, including the creation of a
routinely unarmed police service. Our meeting with Mr. Orde covered a lot
of issues. In the time ahead I would expect that other meetings will allow
for more focussed discussions on specific matters.Sinn Féin is determined
to get policing and justice right. We have been mandated by the Ard Fheis
to drive forward this agenda. It is our intention and determination to do
that.” ENDS