Flanagan denies terror gang collusion knowledge
Former RUC Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan today denied having any knowledge of collusion between his officers and a murderous loyalist terror gang in Belfast when he was in charge.
Sir Ronnie, who faced demands for him to step down from his post as Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary following yesterday’s damning report by Northern Ireland’s Police Ombudsman on the activities of loyalist informers run by the Special Branch, issued the following statement:
“I consider myself someone who played a pivotal role in the reform of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and its transition to becoming the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
“This included the restructuring of what was Special Branch and the Criminal Investigation Department, a process so ably carried on by my colleagues the late Colin Cramphorn and Sir Hugh Orde.
“In relation to the Ombudsman’s investigation that is the subject of recent media coverage, I at all times fully co-operated with their staff, as I of course would with any of their investigations.
“I utterly refute any suggestion, as has been misrepresented in some of the media coverage, that I was in any way evasive or unhelpful. On the contrary, at no time during the investigation, or since, did any member of the Ombudsman’s staff express to me any reservations about my personal action or conduct in any post that I held.
“This includes the six month period when I was appointed as head of Special Branch in the aftermath of the Chinook helicopter tragedy in the summer of 1994.
“With respect to the specific matters dealt with in the Ombudsman’s report, at no time did I have any knowledge, or evidence, of officers at any level behaving in the ways that have been described.
“I would find such conduct to be abhorrent, and if such behaviour took place my hope would be that it would be the subject of criminal or disciplinary proceedings.
“I particularly welcome the recommendation that the dreadful crimes described are to be re-examined.
“It is my earnest hope that evidence can yet be uncovered to bring the perpetrators of these terrible crimes to justice and I fully endorse, and add my personal apology to, Sir Hugh Orde’s apology to relatives that this has not yet been achieved.”
