Police chief, ombudsman set to clash over report

The Police Ombudsman, Ms Nuala O'Loan, and the police Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, appeared set on a collision course last night over expected complaints of RUC mishandling of the investigation of the "Real IRA" Omagh bombing of August 1998.

Ms O'Loan is expected to be severely critical of how Sir Ronnie and RUC senior officers, including Special Branch personnel, managed the investigation of the bombing, which killed 29 people.

Ms O'Loan will meet the families of the Omagh victims in the town today to present them with a summary - rather than a full report - of her findings into how the investigation was handled and recommendations on how highlighted faults could be avoided in future. The summary will be released to the press this afternoon.

The summary is also likely to deal with reports that the RUC, in the two weeks before the bombings, had two warnings of possible "Real IRA" attacks. The first relates to information on August 4th of a possible gun attack on the RUC in Omagh on August 15th - the day of the explosion - and the second to a warning of a possible bomb attack at an unspecified location.

The main feature of her summary, however, is understood to concentrate on what she believes was RUC bungling of the investigation into the bombing at a senior level. Ms O'Loan may stop short of stating that the police could have prevented the attack, but she is expected to claim major deficiencies in trying to track down the bombers.

Her findings are virtually certain to be challenged by the Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan. His spokesman has already stated there are major flaws in a draft report of her investigation, some of which was leaked last week.

Sir Ronnie is still preparing his response to her draft report, but it will not be available ahead of today's publication of the Ombudsman's summary.

This dispute may also spill over into the political arena, with some unionist politicians taking the side of the Chief Constable and the RUC, and some nationalists championing the cause of the Police Ombudsman. There is British government concern that this issue could open up nationalist/unionist divisions at a time when the emphasis is on developing a police service fully acceptable to the two communities in Northern Ireland.

Today will be particularly difficult for the bereaved of Omagh and those who carry physical or psychological wounds as a result of the bombing.

Northern Ireland Office minister, Mr Des Browne, in an apparent attempt to cushion some of this blow, yesterday announced the allocation of £6.75 million funding for victims' support. Of this, £1.5 million will be allocated to the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation, based in Omagh.

It was established to ensure that the lessons from the work done in the aftermath of the Omagh bombing was shared and made available to all who have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of the violence of the troubles.