3 June 1999 Edition
Recruitment attempts
Strabane Sinn Fein member Colman McCrossan has challenged RUC Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan to come clean on two recent incidents where plainclothed RUC men approached him in an attempt to recruit him as an informer.
The first incident took place on Monday, 26 April, at Coleraine Railway Station while McCrossan was returning from University. A casually dressed man who commented that he had read a number of McCrossan's letters in the papers approached the University of Ulster student. The man then identified himself as a local RUC officer and as the Sinn Féin member stood up to leave he called after him saying: ``You're a student, you're `skint, and I can make it worth your while.'' On arrival in Strabane, McCrossan immediately contacted Sinn Féin and gave a written account of the incident to his solicitor, a local priest and reported to incident to the university faculty but decided not to publicise this incident until he had finished his degree as this would have attracted the attention of loyalist paramilitaries in the area.
The second encounter took place on 26 May in the Waterside area of Derry. McCrossan had made a telephone call to arrange to meet a friend the same morning and as he neared his destination the same branch man appeared in front of him. ``It is obvious to me that the RUC could only have gleaned prior information about my intended movements on that day from my telephone conversation,'' said McCrossan. As he walked a short distance to a built up area, the branch man began issuing implicit threats, referring to his home, his partner and to the seven years he had spent in Long Kesh.
McCrossan challenged Ronnie Flanagan saying: `` There has been a massive upsurge in attempts by the RUC Special Branch and British Intelligence to recruit Sinn Féin activists. I now challenge Ronnie Flanagan to explain why Sinn Féin, a legitimate political party which has fully endorsed the peace process, is being subjected to such treatment while loyalist paramilitaries are being allowed to carry out daily attacks against the nationalist community with virtual impunity.'' He has also demanded that British Telecom explain how the RUC are able to monitor the private conversations of the public.
The first incident took place on Monday, 26 April, at Coleraine Railway Station while McCrossan was returning from University. A casually dressed man who commented that he had read a number of McCrossan's letters in the papers approached the University of Ulster student. The man then identified himself as a local RUC officer and as the Sinn Féin member stood up to leave he called after him saying: ``You're a student, you're `skint, and I can make it worth your while.'' On arrival in Strabane, McCrossan immediately contacted Sinn Féin and gave a written account of the incident to his solicitor, a local priest and reported to incident to the university faculty but decided not to publicise this incident until he had finished his degree as this would have attracted the attention of loyalist paramilitaries in the area.
The second encounter took place on 26 May in the Waterside area of Derry. McCrossan had made a telephone call to arrange to meet a friend the same morning and as he neared his destination the same branch man appeared in front of him. ``It is obvious to me that the RUC could only have gleaned prior information about my intended movements on that day from my telephone conversation,'' said McCrossan. As he walked a short distance to a built up area, the branch man began issuing implicit threats, referring to his home, his partner and to the seven years he had spent in Long Kesh.
McCrossan challenged Ronnie Flanagan saying: `` There has been a massive upsurge in attempts by the RUC Special Branch and British Intelligence to recruit Sinn Féin activists. I now challenge Ronnie Flanagan to explain why Sinn Féin, a legitimate political party which has fully endorsed the peace process, is being subjected to such treatment while loyalist paramilitaries are being allowed to carry out daily attacks against the nationalist community with virtual impunity.'' He has also demanded that British Telecom explain how the RUC are able to monitor the private conversations of the public.