On Thursday, September 9, the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland, chaired by former Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten, will release its long awaited report on policing reform. Human Rights Watch researchers are available to the media to discuss the report's recommendations.
Human Rights Watch, an international monitoring organization based in New York, has experience in policing issues in numerous countries and conflict zones around the world. The group actively participated in the Policing Commission's consultation process with three substantive written submissions and a meeting with the full commission in New York in January 1999.
Human Rights Watch's recommendations to the Policing Commission focused on three areas:
Stopping Police Abuse
Human Rights Watch urged the commission to address long-standing problems of police abuse by Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers including the physical and psychological abuse of detainees; the harassment and intimidation of defense lawyers; the excessive use of force in public order policing, including the use of plastic bullets; and alleged collusion between the RUC and loyalist paramilitaries. The group also urged the creation of credible accountability mechanisms; progressive recruitment and training programs; greater democratic accountability for the Chief Constable; and changes in the standard of proof for disciplinary actions against police officers. Human Rights Watch submission to the Policing Commission.
Consultation Process
Human Rights Watch argued that issues of past accountability for human rights violations by RUC officers was critically important, and that the commission should not focus exclusively on how the police should operate in the future.
Vetting the Police Force
Human Rights Watch argued that each officer on the force, including those who had served in the past, must be thoroughly screened by an independent vetting unit to ensure that no human rights violators be permitted to remain on or join the force. The group's detailed briefing paper on the vetting issue drew heavily from Human Rights Watch's work on establishing local police forces in the aftermath of the conflict in Bosnia-Hercegovina. Human Rights Watch Recommendations for Vetting the Police Force in Northern Ireland.
