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Human Rights Watch welcomed some recommendations in the report on police reform issued today by the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland, but expressed profound disappointment that the commission failed to address accountability for abuses committed in the past by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

In the report's opening chapter, the commission—chaired by former Hong Kong Governor Christopher Patten—declines to "make judgments about who was culpable for each of the tragedies and mistakes of the past" and encourages people to forget the past and focus on a "fresh start." Of the 175 detailed recommendations, none provides a process for the removal of currently serving officers with records of abusive conduct.

This omission clearly flies in the face of voluminous evidence presented to the British government, the RUC, and the Patten Commission itself of abusive conduct by the police throughout the course of "the Troubles." Such abuse has been meticulously documented by Human Rights Watch, numerous other respected international human rights organizations, and United Nations and European officials.

"Past abuses cannot be swept under the rug," said Holly Cartner, Executive Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division at Human Rights Watch. "Our experience in other conflict areas tells us that impunity for human rights violations will seriously undermine confidence in whatever ‘new' force is created."

Cartner said she was happy that the report's first seven recommendations addressed human rights questions: human rights training for police officers, a new oath including human rights pledges, and codes of ethics based on international human rights standards.

While Human Rights Watch welcomed the recommendation to close the "holding centers"—specially designated detention facilities for political suspects—it questioned how those detectives who operated in the centers would be dealt with.

"Will new recruits drawn from formerly disenfranchised communities be expected to serve side-by-side with these detectives, many of whom are easily identifiable and have been responsible for the physical and psychological abuse of detainees?" asked Cartner. "And how can the Policing Commission encourage members of communities currently under-represented in the RUC to join a force that has systematically harassed, intimidated, and abused them over the years?"

Cartner noted that 93 percent of RUC officers are Protestant. "If the people reponsible for abuse are not held accountable, the RUC will have serious trouble attracting Catholics, women, and other ethnic minorities in the future," Cartner said.

The group also expressed concern over the recommendations regarding the RUC Special Branch, responsible for dealing with political violence. Credible allegations of Special Branch collusion with loyalist paramilitaries have plagued the RUC, and recent revelations about possible Special Branch complicity in the murder of Belfast solicitor Patrick Finucane in 1989 have fueled urgent calls for the British government to establish an independent inquiry into the killing. The Patten report recommends that the Special Branch and Crime Branch units of the RUC be merged under the command of a single Assistant Chief Constable. There is no recommendation that the Special Branch be evaluated to determine past abusive practices or for the unit itself to be replaced with a more accountable special unit.

"It looks like the Special Branch will remain intact with absolutely no appraisal of its dodgy human rights record," said Cartner. "This is unacceptable given the controversial nature of the policing undertaken by Special Branch in the past."

In written submissions to the Patten Commission, Human Rights Watch urged it to recommend an independent vetting process to weed out currently serving police officers with abusive records. The group also expressed concern over the Patten commission's failure adequately to address emergency legislation and to recommend an outright ban on plastic bullets. Human Rights Watch will be submitting a detailed critique of the report to the British government during the upcoming consultation process.

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