Address by Sean Murray
Published: 28 January, 2007
Let's be clear and honest about this, policing is an emotive issue for Republicans. It is emotive not because we are against policing, we are not. It is emotive because of our own personal experiences and that which our communities have had of policing. The history and experience of policing in the six counties has been unaccountable, partisan political policing. The
very core of policing was never about providing a service to the community but rather about defending the status quo of the six county statelet and the industry that they had built for themselves around it. In that context everything possible was done to exclude any nationalist who wanted to join. They were viewed as Fifth Columnists; they were not to be trusted because
nationalists were seen as the enemy of the statelet.
As difficult as it might be it is necessary for us to leave our emotions aside and think and act strategically on the issue of policing. Many Republicans have taken a long time before coming to the conclusion that the time is now right to move into the policing arena. Over the years Republicans have worked long and hard to ensure that never again do our communities suffer from unaccountable, partisan political policing. The old unionist certainties of the past the B Specials, the UDR, the RIR and the RUC are gone for ever. Policing is no longer subject to political control by a Unionist government at Stormont but what does exist is a policing subject to political control by a British government. Neither Unionism or any British government were shy about using these thugs to target our communities, to target republicans for murder or for using them in any other
activities that they thought that they could be useful for in fighting their Dirty War against republicans. Many of those who made up the ranks of policing were only to willing to take part in such activities.
The Patten Report was a first step in getting these people out of policing. They could see the writing on the wall and got out fearing that republicans would be taking up the reigns of power and knowing that they would be made accountable. Even after Patten the British government sought to frustrate the process of holding policing to account, we did not let them thanks to our leaders here today. It has taken a long time to get us to where we are at today. There were those who jumped too early, telling us that we would not get further moves from the British government on the issue of policing. How wrong they were. Since then there have been a further two policing Bills. These Bills were passed not because the British government wanted to concede more on policing but because Republicans were very clear about what needed to be done to create and accountable fair and impartial policing service free from partisan political control.
So are we there yet. The answer is no but I do believe that we have achieved as much as is humanly possible from the outside. Policing powers will be devolved to the Assembly. We have ensured that MI5 is kept out of civil policing and that all police actions can be held to account by a Department of Justice and Policing, the Police Ombudsman and the Policing
Board. It is now time for us to enter into the final stages of ensuring that our communities receive a proper accountable policing service, based on the principles of protection of human rights and professional integrity.
There will be no place for human rights abusers in policing, I was a victim of that system at sixteen years of age and I intend through my membership of this movement to ensure this never happens again, I want experienced republicans to fight my peoples corner. Many of those responsible for human rights abuse, who were involved in such actions in the past have now left the PSNI. For any remaining within the ranks of policing we have a message for you, your day has gone, we will ensure that you face the full rigours of the law.
There are many in this hall who have suffered either directly or indirectly from the unaccountable, partisan political policing of the past. I personally know how sore those wounds are and I know how they can grip us like a vice, trapping us to forever live in the past. Our pain is real and we have all felt it but I ask each and every delegate here today to think and act strategically, to ensure that never again do our communities suffer from unaccountable, partisan political policing. I ask comrades to support the Ard Comhairle motion and in doing so help us to move our political project forward.
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