Police federation proposes media censorship if situation worsens

THE Police Federation in Northern Ireland has proposed a harsh new set of emergency laws to meet any intensification of the IRA campaign, or return to loyalist paramilitary violence.

Mr Leslie Rodgers, chairman of the RUC's representative body warned that a collapse of political dialogue could propel Northern Ireland back into a wave of violence, as bad as ever experienced here over the past 27 years.

He said that in the event of "widespread terrorist activity being imminent" sweeping legislative changes might be needed, including a new reporting ban to embrace newspapers.

Mr Rodgers said measures must be considered to reduce "access by terrorist spokespeople to the media". This would involve the reintroduction of the broadcasting ban. The "merits of such a reporting ban being extended to newspapers" should also be considered.

The Northern Police Federation chairman told a meeting of federation colleagues from Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland that through years of intelligence-gathering the RUC and British army knew the main paramilitary leaders and activists.

Law changes to ensure their conviction should include "temporarily" changing the requirement for conviction from "beyond reasonable doubt" to the "civil judicial standard of probability".

"That is the price the community must pay and I believe is prepared to pay for its safety" Mr Rodgers said at the meeting in Blackpool.

He added that the police must continue to have primacy over the British army for the control of law and order. "But the police effort must be supplemented by additional dedicated anti-terrorist teams," he said.

"These personnel might range from anti-racketeering squads which include civilian lawyers and accountants to special forces units. Excellent steps have already been taken - we will want to see more," Mr Rodgers added.

He said the RUC was now faced with a "future which could bring either the restoration of a cessation of hostilities while the political wings of the paramilitaries plan their next move, or a complete collapse of [political dialogue which puts us back to the violence of even the worst days of the past 27 years

"Without peace we must make the fight against terrorism our number one priority," Mr Rodgers added.

He also urged the loyalist paramilitaries not to engage in violence in response to the IRA bombing of the British army headquarters in Lisburn.

"Retaliation only enables the IRA to claim the spurious status of defending the community. Their isolation and that of Sinn Fein must remain complete if any kind of collective political recovery is to take place."

Mr Rodgers said the RUC policed the very difficult parading season professionally and effectively and with great personal cost to the federation's membership. "We will police this renewed terrorism with the same dedication and commitment."

He congratulated the Metropolitan Police for the recent major IRA bomb find in London, and the Garda Siochana for its arms and mortar discovery in Louth.