Until the authorised version of the Police Ombudsman's report is available, it would be unjust and reckless to attempt a complete judgment on what is now emerging about the Omagh bombing. But the details of police failures which have been alleged in a draft document, leaked to the media, would seem to make a serious prima facie case against the performance of the RUC and in particular its Special Branch.
The leaked draft suggests a sequence of policing failures. Advance information about an attack in Omagh was not acted upon. Measures that might have prevented the bombing which killed 29 people were not taken. The subsequent investigation may have underestimated the value of clues provided by the advance warning and other intelligence. Important forensic evidence may have been compromised or lost.
The document apparently puts these propositions to the Chief Constable for comment. How much of the catalogue of allegation carries into the final report remains to be seen. We must also wait to see what evidence is brought forward to support any allegations - and we must measure the quality of that evidence. In the murky world of security and intelligence work there is virtually unlimited potential for disinformation, for distortion and for the settling of scores - sometimes as much among supposed colleagues as adversaries.
It is regrettable, with the Police Service of Northern Ireland but newly-launched, that yet another ghost from the RUC's past now presents itself for exorcism. But it has to be squared up to, along with other unfinished business, including the Nelson, Finucane and Hamill murders. Already those with particular agendas to pursue in regard to policing have sought to capitalise on this report. Dr John Reid is almost certainly correct when he describes the motivation behind the leak as malicious. But if the facts are anywhere close to what has been reported, the implications must be very far-reaching.
There is evidence that the RUC Special Branch became a force within a force - a condition which tends to manifest itself in the security sections of police organisations generally. Republicans and nationalists have insisted that this must end if the new police arrangements are to be successful. If these allegations concerning the Omagh bombing are borne out, their arguments will be powerfully boosted.
The Patten report went substantially along with republican/nationalist demands on Special Branch. But there must be an element of caution in reshaping or redefining the security function within Northern Ireland's police service. Those who operate Special Branch or its equivalent have a thankless and dangerous job which is not redundant as long as paramilitaries on both sides of the sectarian divide remain active. This context must not be lost sight of as this affair comes to its denouement over coming days and weeks.