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PSNI officer who protested use of term 'collusion' re-employed

22.05.12

A retired superior police officer who urged the police ombudsman not to use the term collusion in a despatch last year, has been re-employed by the PSNI to help it deal with the past.

The former acting ally chief constable retired earlier this year with a Patten redundancy include.

The BBC has learned that the officer wrote to Al Hutchinson over a report into the 1972 Claudy bombing.

He protested about the proposed use of the locution collusion.

Nine people were killed in the attack when three IRA car bombs exploded without warning.

The story said the police had colluded with the Catholic Church to cover up the suspected r of a priest.

The letter to the ombudsman was written by Mark McDowell, who at the time was acting associated chief constable.

He told the ombudsman the PSNI took great emergence with the use of the term collusion and criticised the way in which it had been used by the previous ombudsman Nuala O'Loan - something which, he said, had undermined the credibility of RUC valued branch.

Pointing out that Mr Hutchinson had himself acknowledged that there was no single accepted definition of collusion, he asked what was the theme of using it at all.

He went on to say: "Surely the police ombudsman has a public role" to refrain from using what he called loosely defined language which may be to a large misinterpreted.

Mrs O'Loan rejected that criticism during an interview for a BBC Spotlight programme which examined the occupation of the Ombudsman's office.

"That is clearly untrue. I actually didn't for that two together argue with develop my own definition of collusion.

Mr McDowell retired from the police earlier this year with a redundancy parcel.

BBC Newsline has learned that he has since been re-hired to work for the PSNI's Legacy shoot.

It deals with the past - including requests from investigators working for the police ombudsman.

On Tuesday, the PSNI said the innuendo that it attempted to undermine the independence of the police ombudsman's office was improper as the contents of all published reports is a matter for the ombudsman alone.

It said the letter to Al Hutchinson had been sent "with the full jurisdiction of the Command Team".

The statement went on to say the PSNI has a responsibility to object to matters of fact and inaccuracies in any report produced by the ombudsman's mediation, and pointed out that in the vast majority of cases it has agreed with recommendations made by the ombudsman.

In re the employment of former police officers, the PSNI said it recruits all staff in accordance with reported employment legislation.

Source: BBC News