THE RUC AS VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE
302 officers killed, 9000 injured. This represents 18% of the casualties of the conflict, compared to 12% sustained by the British Army. Since 32,000 people have served in the RUC since 1969, you could say that there was an almost one in three chance of being killed or injured.
In Year 1998/1999, there were 1852 attacks on the Police (involving shootings, bombings, bomb hoaxes, petrol bombs, missiles and other physical assaults). RUC officers suffered 514 petrol bomb attacks in the same year.
THE POLICE AS PERPETRATORS OF VIOLENCE
The RUC has killed 53 people during the conflict. This represents 1.5% of the total (compared to 83.1% by paramilitaries and 9.2% by other security forces ). Of those 53, 31 were civilians, 19 were paramilitaries and 3 were other members of the security forces.
A REPRESENTATIVE MEMBERSHIP
Over the 30 years, the proportion of Catholics in the RUC has hovered at 8% on average. In 1994-95 (the year following the first IRA cease-fire), 21.5% of new applicants were Catholic. This has now risen to 22%. The basic major reason for the traditional under-representation of Catholics is that Catholics who joined were frequently ostracised by their communities and became prime targets for the IRA.
Reinforcing this point, the 1998 RUC Community Attitudes Survey found that ‘fear of intimidation upon themselves or their families’ was the principal reason that Catholics were deterred from joining the RUC (cited by 70 per cent).
IMPARTIALITY
The first police fatality of the troubles was killed by loyalists (October 1969). The first WPC was also killed by loyalists (March 1975). Clear up rates for loyalist terrorism has always been much higher than for republican terrorism. In 1999 (up to 3 October) 164 members of Loyalist paramilitary organisations have been charged with terrorist offences, as opposed to 91 Republicans.
COLLUSION WITH LOYALIST PARAMILITARIES
This is the most serious charge levelled at the police by Sinn Fein-IRA. One simple statistic can place it in context. In the troubles, 190 members of the IRA were assassinated (i.e., killed individually by design, not killed in action as in Loughgall). Of those, 164 were killed by fellow republican terrorists. Loyalists killed only 26. So only 26 IRA members, in the whole 30 years of conflict, could even theoretically have been killed by police collusion with loyalists.
RESPECTED BY THE COMMUNITY IT SERVES
The International Victimisation Survey (Mayhew & Van Dijk 1997 and quoted in Patten) looked at public satisfaction levels with Police performance across 11 countries. The RUC was ranked higher than any of the continental European countries. With 63 per cent it was lower than Canada (at 80 per cent), the US, Scotland and England & Wales (with 68 per cent).
In the most recent RUC Omnibus Survey, 88 per cent of those questioned expressed confidence (from ‘total’ to ‘some’ confidence) in the RUC’s ability to provide and ordinary day to day policing service for all the people of Northern Ireland.The same poll found 79 per cent having confidence in the RUC’s ability to provide public order policing for all.
On performance of the Police in Northern Ireland as a whole, 75 per cent of respondents to the September 1998 RUC Omnibus Survey deemed this to be ‘very or fairly good’.
TERRORIST VIOLENCE: A GROWING THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY
Up to 3 October 1999 has seen 175 paramilitary style attacks combining beatings and shootings. The same period in 1998 saw 169 attacks.
In 1999 alone 255 people, Loyalist and Republican, have been charged with terrorist offences in Northern Ireland (up to 3 October 1999). These crimes ranged from murder to possession of firearms, possession of explosives, attempted murder and armed robbery.
Defend the RUC Campaign
Police Federation for Northern Ireland
Royal Ulster Constabulary - RUC
(Official Website)
Read the Patton Report on Policing in Northern Ireland
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