By Ned Kelly

Sinn Fein's party chairperson Mitchel McLaughlin and spokesperson on Policing and Justice Bairbre de Brun gave a clear view of the history and current state of the RUC when making Sinn Fein's oral submission to the Patten Commission on Policing on Monday.

The Sinn Fein pair also outlined the party's vision for the future of policing in the North.

Describing their ``grave responsibility to deliver'', McLaughlin told the commission, ``the most difficult part of your task will be designing structures [that] will attract members from that section of the community for whom policing is synonymous with sectarianism, brutality, prejudice and repression.''

He added, ``the RUC that routinely violates the human rights of Nationalists has never been held to account for any of its actions either by the law or any other democratic structure.''

McLaughlin told the commission that since 1922 the RUC had maintained the Unionist state with shoot-to-kill, loyalist collusion, torture, the intimidation of lawyers, emergency powers and plastic bullets.

Arguing for the centrality of a new policing service to facilitate the much heralded `new beginning', de Brun focused on the organisational structures and ``composition, culture and ethos, recruitment and training'' needed to create a new policing service.

She urged the commission to understand the need for true accountability through ``operational independence'' and freedom from partisan political control. She called for the appointment of senior police officers and the allocation of budgets to be in the hands of a body with widespread and broad-based support.

The Sinn Fein submission also focused on a new complaints mechanism, the incorporation of international human rights into law and a consistent all-island legal framework in which police officers would be accountable to.

The submission called for new geographical and functional divisions in a new policing service and the crucial establishment of community policing rooted in a Community Restorative Justice scheme.

De Brun told the commission the culture of immunity and impunity of the RUC must be challenged.

Speaking to An Phoblacht, de Brun said, ``we urged the commission to read up on the Bennett, Stalker/Sampson, the Stevens reports and the countless condemnation of RUC human rights abuses. The RUC has failed to respond to the challenge as to why they have taken certain decisions and why they responded with such excessive force, directed squarely at nationalists.''

She called for the composition of a new policing service to reflect the demographics of the North: a policing service of 3000 made up 1350 nationalist, 1500 women, 54 minority ethnic groups and 450 gays/lesbians.

The removal of RUC members responsible for human rights abuses was also paramount, as was the debarring of members of the `loyal' orders or others bound by oath to such secret organisations.

But de Brun re-iterated the call for no legal block to be placed in front of ex-combatants and their involvement in a new policing service.

She also dismissed the Policing Authority submission to the Patten Commission. She said, it was ``lacking in credibility, totally inadequate and would only seek to defend the old order rather than produce the `new beginning' outlined in the Good Friday Agreement. For the past 30 years the Police Authority has been responsible for a force that has been indicted by every major human rights agency in the world. The RUC authority has consistently turned a blind eye to the behaviour of the RUC. It has, by its support and defence of the RUC colluded. They fail the test set by the Agreement.''

Concern at Patten venues

Sinn Fein West Belfast Assembly member Sue Ramsey has called on the Patten Commission to relocate one of their planned meetings in the Lisburn Council area to the Dairy Farm in Twinbrook. She said, ``both Lisburn venues are not suitable for the people of Twinbrook and Poleglass.''

Garvaghy Road councillor Breandan MacCionnaith has also expressed hope that the commission will return to the area after its hastily arranged meeting for 4 December. He said, ``given the recent history of the RUC in this area and its role in Drumcree, residents feel it is vital the commission come back for a more detailed visit.''

Sinn Fein's Dara O'Hagan has also called on the commission to facilitate a meeting with the people of Lurgan given Craigavon is dangerous for nationalists and the 6pm start for the Ashgrove Centre will be difficult for people only getting home from work.''

Downpatrick Sinn Fein councillor Paddy McGreevy has also expressed concerns at the confusion generated by changing the time of commission meeting from 7.30pm to 4pm. McGreevy added, ``against the backdrop of the increased RUC harassment in Downpatrick the announcement of a public meeting to establish a Police Liaison Committee a week before the Patten commission is designed to encourage confusion and stifle a full and informed debate on the policing issue.''

Meanwhile Bairbre de Brun, Sinn Fein's spokesperson on Policing and Justice has called the UUP's Chris McGimpsey claim the Sinn Fein are packing the meetings of the commission ``a transparent lie''. She said, ``nationalist anger and resistance at the RUC is real.'' De Brun added, ``this is an obvious attempt to label all opposition to the RUC as `propaganda'. This is another example of unionism being unwilling to tolerate any point of view other than their own.''