Dissidents a growing threat - Flanagan

The RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, has warned of a growing threat from dissident republican paramilitaries and said militant loyalists might attempt to "hijack" the coming Orange Order protests at Drumcree.

Sir Ronnie also spoke of the possibility of dissident republican bomb attacks on targets in Britain. He believed the "Real" IRA carried out the explosion on the rail track near Newry early yesterday morning.

"We have known for some time that it has been the intention of dissident republicans in that area to carry out a number of attacks. At this stage, our assessment is that it was the work of the "Real IRA"," he said in Belfast, when launching the annual report of the RUC for 1999/2000.

Sir Ronnie described last year as "momentous" for the RUC, chiefly because of mainly due to the publication of the Patten report and the awarding of the George Cross. "The level of terrorist activity is very significantly reduced," he said.

Referring to his concerns about dissident republicans, he said he believed the "Real IRA" posed a real and growing threat. "We can't afford and will not allow ourselves to become complacent in our approach to dealing with them," he said.

He did not rule out the possibility of the dissidents carrying out actions in Britain. "That is a real possibility, and I have no doubt they would have intentions in that regard. That is not to say we have specific intelligence of them being in an advanced stage of planning, but I would have no doubt that that would be included in their future intentions."

He was concerned about the "tensions, frictions and animosities" between competing loyalist paramilitary groups over "territoriality", which had resulted in murder. He could also foresee "dissident loyalist" paramilitaries seeking to "hijack" the Drumcree protests.

There was evidence of this growing threat yesterday with confirmation by the Gaelic Athletics Association that loyalists had threatened a number of its members. The Orange Volunteers linked their threats to Drumcree.

Sir Ronnie said he understood the feelings of the residents and those who wanted to march but he urged people, whatever the decision of the Parades Commission on the main Drumcree parade, "to behave lawfully, peacefully and with dignity".

Sir Ronnie said he could not comment specifically on the recent explosion in Ballymurphy, but he confirmed that the type of device that exploded had previously been used by the IRA.

He repeated that there were intelligence indications that the IRA murdered Edmund McCoy last month but added that "there is nothing of an evidential nature to allow me to be as yet definitive in that respect".

Sir Ronnie described the IRA's decision to open up arms dumps for inspection was "significantly positive". Asked was if the IRA was still maintaining a ceasefire, he drew attention to the fact that the ceasefire related to a "cessation of military operations" rather than a halt to all violent actions.

"If you look at it in terms of that definition there is no evidence that that definition has been breached. But I am not in the business of defining when a ceasefire is not a ceasefire. I am in the business of investigating crime."

Sir Ronnie said he hoped to be chief constable for the remaining three years of his contract, including the period when the reformed police force would be in place. Considering the uncertainties and the changes his officers had to face following the Patten proposals, morale in the RUC was "remarkably high", he said.

Asked if he should apologise for past RUC wrongs inflicted on nationalists, the Chief Constable said it was wrong to suggest the force had wilfully acted against any one community. He added: "if we have engaged in wrongs as a result of which people have been hurt, of course that is a matter for which I apologise."

Sir Ronnie was also asked about the loyalist paramilitary flags flying outside Garnerville RUC station where he held his press conference yesterday. He said dealing with flags demanded sensitivity. "But certainly, no one should take from the proximity of any flag to any police establishment that that involves any connection whatever. Of course, there is no connection."