Senior police officers hold cross-border meeting
More than 100 high-ranking police officers from both sides of the Irish border staged a formalised meeting for the first time today - in line with a recommendation incorporated in the report on policing in Northern Ireland by European Commissioner and former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten.
Delegations at the get-together - at the Garda college at Templemore - were headed by Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne, and Colin Cramphorn, acting Chief Constable of the new Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The conference - which is to be staged on an annual basis in the future - considered policies and strategy for cross-border policing.
Afterwards, Mr Cramphorn rejected claims by Sinn Fein that republicans were being scapegoated for the recent break-in at Belfast’s Castlereagh police base.
Following their initial discussions - the meeting continues tomorrow - the two police chiefs pledged to continue working together to bring to justice those responsible for the 1998 Real IRA bombing of Omagh, Co Tyrone, when 29 people were killed and 300 injured.
Mr Byrne said ‘‘We are working hand-in-hand in relations to this investigation and have been from the very start. We have ongoing and daily communication with our colleagues in the PSNI as developments occur.’’
Mr Cramphorn added ‘‘We will certainly do everything in our power to advance the investigation as far as it is possible to take it.’’
The two heads of police will be together again on Friday - at a graduation ceremony for PSNI recruits in Belfast.
