‘Political’ Policing Here To Stay

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday May 31, 2007 18:29 by Cormac Ryan PRO éirígí

The notion that what has been termed ‘political’ policing in the six counties can be reformed out of existence has been dealt a serious blow in recent weeks, by the actions of the RUC/PSNI.

‘Political’ policing, by its very definition, implies that there also exists another form of non-‘political’ policing; sometimes referred to as ‘civic’ policing.

The suggestion that ‘political’ policing can be replaced by non-‘political’ ‘civic’ policing is fundamentally flawed and fails to understand the true role and nature of British policing in Ireland.

This flawed argument provides cover and refuge for the British occupation as it implies that the partisan or ‘political’ actions of the RUC/PSNI are an anomaly or hangover from the ‘bad old days’. Furthermore, it maintains that the continuing political actions of this force are the work of a rump of has-been reactionaries; the proverbial ‘few rotten apples’ acting outside the current modus operandi, who can, with time, be flushed out.

This analysis cannot continue to contain any validity given developments over the last number of months, which have re-enforced the arguments of those republicans and socialists who understand the true nature of British policing in Ireland.

Three recent examples will suffice.

Lordorice Djountso and her one-year-old daughter Imelda are currently being held in an English detention centre following their arrest by the RUC/PSNI in Belfast. Originally from Cameroon, Lordorice fled to Ireland following her brutal rape and the murder of her brothers. Lordorice and Imelda are now fighting against the imminent prospect of deportation to Cameroon.

Róisín McAliskey was arrested on Monday, May 21 and brought before a Belfast court to face an extradition warrant apparently issued by the German authorities. Róisín spent 16 months in English prisons in the 1990’s, during which time she was forced to give birth under armed guard, while fighting trumped-up charges. Now, she faces the possibility of having to fight the charges all over again.

Finally during a recent house-raid in Strabane, county Tyrone a family had automatic weapons trained on them by members of the RUC/PSNI. The subsequent search of the house found nothing of an incriminating nature.

Meanwhile, republicans and nationalists across the Six-Counties, some of whom are now in support of policing structures in the occupied area, have continued to face harassment, arrest and assault at the hands of the RUC/PSNI.

The actions detailed above were not carried out by rogue officers operating in defiance of the diktats of their superiors.

The actions were carried out in compliance with British government policy – political policies that will continue to be implemented for as long as the occupation of the Six-Counties continues.

Those implementing them may also attend to civic duties but they will inevitably remain under the control of their political masters.

The devolution of some ‘policing and justice’ powers to the Six-County assembly will not resolve this problem. Issues relevant to ‘national security’, immigration etc – essentially all the ‘political’ issues – will remain under the direct control of the British government.

If political policing, and for that matter sectarian and racist, policing is here to stay then people have to decide which side they are on.

For our part, we in éirígí are implacably opposed to the RUC/PSNI and its role in maintaining the British occupation. In the time ahead, we are determined to expose and oppose their irreformably reactionary role in Irish society.

We would hope that all of those who support progressive politics would do likewise.