11 March 1999 Edition

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RUC on PR offensive

The RUC have begun a PR offensive in the wake of one of their officers being criticised in the official inquiry into the racist murder of 18 year old black teenager Stephen Lawrence.

Superintendent Jonathan McIvor, the newly appointed RUC sub-divisional commander in Enniskillen, has rejected the criticisms made of him in the report. However, analysis of his claims and the report do not match up.

McIvor was a Chief Inspector with the English Metropolitan Police based in Plumstead in April 1993 when Lawrence was murdered.

McIvor claims that it was not, in his view, his responsibility to take command at the scene of the incident. However, the report tells a different story, ``this is a matter of considerable surprise since we regard Mr McIvor as an important person in the chain of command. As the senior Divisional uniformed officer on duty it is our view that Mr McIvor was the man who ought to have taken charge and ensured that there was co-ordination and correlation between those present as to the steps which were being taken at the scene''.

McIvor, talking about his actions at the scene, said, ``given the nature of the incident and the background of racial tension in the area there was, in my view, a real danger that it could spark public disorder and I went back to the station and discussed with a senior officer how that could be avoided.''

The fact that McIvor failed to meet his responsibilities is underlined by his Divisional Chief Superintendent at the time, Mr Philpott, who said McIvor's role was for the area in relation to public order and ``to take over uniformed ground control of that (the Stephen Lawrence) incident''.

All of this comes as McIvor is being defended by the RUC's Ronnie Flanagan.

McIvor may be acceptable as a good officer by the RUC but to nationalists he will never be acceptable and the RUC's acceptance of an officer who has blatantly failed to meet his responsibilities and subsequently tried to cover this up by making out an incident report booklet five months after the incident further highlights the fact that the RUC have no role to play in a new Ireland.


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