4 March 1999 Edition

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Conference hears that ``RUC cannot be re-packaged''

By Caítlin Doherty

Policing was the theme of a major human rights conference hosted by the Committee for the Administration of Justice over the weekend of 26, 27 February. More than 200 human rights activists, aswell as community and political representatives attended a series of lectures and workshops in the Wellington.

Among them was Sinn Féin spokesperson on policing Baírbre de Brun and Assembly member Dara O'Hagan.

A Number of international policing and human rights experts also shared their experiences of areas of conflict such as South Africa.

Debates focused on the future of policing as a pillar of peace and the aim of the two day conference was to brainstorm participants on issues such as the future of the RUC, police composition, representation, training, accountability. The conclusions will be forwarded to the Patten Commission.

A number of key addresses were the basis for discussions held in the workshops. Ralph Crawshaw, consultant to the Council of Europe and the International Red Cross outlined the difficulties of changing a miltary-modelled police force and added that bad policing fueled conflict.

He also highlighted the difficulties linked to bridging the gap between theory and practice. Respect for human rights can be dealt with through training, however, the principal difficulty, whatever the environment, is to ensure that theory is applied in ever-day duties.

Another difficulty of fair policing is linked to the existence of so-called ``emergency legislation''. Ralph Crawshaw indicated that the practices of police operating under this type of legislation are difficult to change. He highlighted the findings of the United Nations Committee against torture that indicate that abuses tend to occur when such legislation is in place. In practice, the power that is conferred by virtue of this legislation leads to human rights abuses .

Crawshaw also stressed that political will was essential in implementing whatever codes of conduct or measures are taken to change a police force.

Lee Jasper, one of the leading activists in the campaign for the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and director of the 1990 Human Rights Trust also addressed the conference. Responding to questions from the audience, he said that, given his experience with the Metropolitan Police in London, the only way to tackle institutionalised racism or sectarianism would be to disband the force.

During the workshops a number of questions relating to accountability, composition, monitoring and partnerships with the wider community were debated.

On such a broad issue, ideas and debates flourished during the workshops. In relation to legislation, a number of participants stressed the need to repeal the so-called emergency legislation. It was also argued that the United Nations standards of human rights must serve as a basis to any policing service. This would allow the force to bypass whatever political interference's on a state level.

The idea of what image a policing service projects, and therefore what type of people it is likely to attract was also raised. ``The RUC cannot be re-packaged, said one participant. It is essential that the whole culture, ethos, training, recruitment system be rethought. This means redrawing a whole new policing service and not only making cosmetic changes to the current force''.

The military and unionist ethos of the RUC and the way this philosophy has become ``a culture within a culture'' was entirely unacceptable.

The lack of adequate disciplinary measures in the case of human rights abuses was also emphasised. ``How do you ensure that within the force, higher ranking officers are not going to cover-up the actions?'', asked one participant. The issue of monitoring was then debated. In number of workshops, it was proposed that a truly independent monitoring body act as a watch-dog. Such a body could include representatives from human rights non governmental organisation's.

The political motivations of current RUC members was also the theme of much debate. In one of the workshops, a lengthy debate took place on the lack of transparency vis-à-vis membership of the Orange Order and other sectarian organisations.

On the issue of accountability, the lack of transparency of the RUC was lengthily debated. ``There has to be an acknowledgement of the nationalist experience of the RUC and the collective trauma it has caused'', said one participant.

Quotas, as a measure to encourage equal representation, was often criticised. Many participants dismissed them as a mere smokescreen preventing effective change. Experiences in the United States have proved that the introduction of anti-discrimination legislation is not a means in itself, but has to be coupled with more drastic measures.

On Saturday, a panel discussion focused on the structural models for policing. South African assistant commissioner Zelda Holtzman also addressed the participants. She shared her experience of South Africa where former political prisoners joined the new police force.

However, she warned that the balance of power at a political level was key to changing the whole ethos of a police force. She also described the way the amalgamation of non-statutory bodies into the decision-making process were key in changing the status-quo in South Africa.

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