The True Picture of New Policing and the Truths Hugh Orde Must Face

Relatives for Justice – April 2007

Since being appointed as Chief Constable in May 2002 45 murders have occurred under the watch of Sir Hugh Orde - most of these killings are attributable to loyalists. As far as we can ascertain only two of the murders have been successfully resolved in which those actually responsible for the murders have been brought to justice. If such a high failure rate to solve murders were to occur in any other jurisdiction calls would be made for the resignation of the police chief yet the very opposite has been the case here. This is unacceptable.
 
Additional prosecutions exist in the killing of Alan McCullough regarding the 'role' played by Mo Courtney, who was not prosecuted for the murder, and charges are pending re the death of Robert McCartney at Maginnes's bar which was a non-conflict related death, and the sectarian murder of Catholic teenager Michael McIlveen in Ballymena.
 
In a substantial number of the killings by loyalists it has been alleged that the perpetrators are agents in the employ of the Special Branch and Military Intelligence. Indeed those loyalists alleged to have been responsible for these murders are equally living lifestyles obviously derived from criminal activity, namely drug dealing, and yet families are even citing the failure of the former Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) for not targeting these same individuals. It is our understanding that during its existence the ARA could not act independently of the Chief Constable who ultimately decided which persons the ARA could and could not investigate and that they were also receiving payments from the Special Branch and intelligence services. This again raises the speculation that agents, also with immunity for crime in addition to murder, were being further protected in a bid to keep a lid on their roles as agents at the height of the conflict, a price the State was only too willing to pay. This continues with the situation being described as the agents having the police over a barrel whereby the policy is one of 'its best not pursue them', aside from the perfunctory motions of investigation to 'reassure' the public.
 
Indeed when Hugh Orde was heading up the Stevens Enquiry Team Raymond McCord Snr. informed him of Mark Haddock and the Mount Vernon UVF. Hugh Orde told Raymond McCord that this aspect of collusion was not within his remit and in turn passed the matter onto Ronnie Flanagan's office. However, on becoming Chief Constable Hugh Orde retained Mark Haddock as an agent for approximately 18 months before 'deactivating' him. The question that families want answered is how many more agents is Hugh Orde aware of and is shielding until more irrefutable evidence comes to light to force him to 'deactivate' them?
 
Hugh Orde has been consistent in undermining families' calls for truth and justice by publicly denouncing their calls for public inquiries into the murders of their loved ones. His is defensive and dismissive when concerning the question of agents involved in murder. As part of his defence he uses a bogus counter argument that is based upon scaremongering about financial costs in order to deflect attention away. Hugh Orde does not speak for or represent the concerns of families, he is a paid civil servant and as such should concentrate on his duty as a public servant. Human rights do not have a price. The real question is how much is it costing to retain and protect agents and continue cover-ups? Under the Freedom of Information Relatives for Justice recently sought the budget allocated to the PSNI, and the RUC, over this past decade for informers and agents but the request was declined citing 'national security'.
 
The large number of unsolved murders during Hugh Orde's tenure as Chief Constable do not take into account the huge volume of cases that have remained unsolved already within the remit of the PSNI, including the numerous killings especially since 1998 by the UVF and UDA mostly within their own community. The role of the PSNI's Historical Enquiry Team (HET) must be seen in the context of keeping a lid on the truth and managing the process of concealment under their guise of 'maximum disclosure possible' rule. This should also take into account the fact that MI5 have determined not to cooperate with the HET. Aside from this there also exists the retention of certain cases by the PSNI and to which the HET do not have any jurisdiction. These centre on killings that are highly political and involve agents.
 
The murder of Gerard Lawlor, as highlighted this week by UTV’s excellent Insight programme in which a former police detective, Mr. Horan, indicated the likelihood that the killers were agents, is only but a glimpse of the real picture that is being deliberately obscured by Hugh Orde masking the failings of the PSNI in respect of solving these murders. And instead of dealing with these very real concerns the Policing Board continue to unquestioningly promote and prop up the PSNI thus failing in a central plank of its statutory duty to hold the PSNI, and importantly Hugh Orde, to account for its abysmal track record in solving murders. The regular exercise of Hugh Orde and his senior officers attending Policing Board meetings are a carefully choreographed chorus of self-congratulatory episodes. This needs to change.
 
Hugh Orde's time would be better spent on solving these cases than engaging is constant PR stunts that serve only to undermine families by telling, or more precisely dictating, what's best for them. The call from families is clear - end the impunity and stop the sham of cover-up by beginning the real process of justice no matter the difficulties posed in holding to account your own agents for murder. End the politics of spin and begin the real policing. 

 Deaths under Hugh Orde

2002

1. Name: Mark Fulton
Age: 42 (Protestant)
Killed By: Alleged Suicide
Date of Death: 10th June 2002

2. Name: William Morgan
Age: 27 (Protestant)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 6th July 2002

3. Name: Gerard Lawlor
Age: 19 (Catholic)
 Killed By: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
 Date of Death: 21st July 2002

4. Name: David Caldwell
Age: 51 (Protestant)
Killed By: ‘Real’ Irish Republican Army (RIRA)
Date of Death: 1st August 2002

5. Name: Chris Whitson
Age: 20 (Catholic)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 12th August 2002

6. Name: Stephen Warnock
Age: 35 (Protestant)
Killed By: Red Hand Commando (RHC)
Date of Death: 13th September 2002

7. Name: Thomas Geoffrey Gray
Age: 41 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Date of Death: 4th October 2002

8. Name: Alex McKinney
Age: 22 (Protestant)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 13th October 2002

9. Name: Mark Aspley
Age: 38 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Date of Death: 1st December 2002

10. Name: David Cupples
Age: 25 (Protestant)
Killed By: Loyalists (LOY)
Date of Death: 25th December 2002

11. Name: Jonathan Stewart
Age: 22 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Date of Death:  27th December 2002

2003

12. Name: Roy Green
Age: 32 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Date of Death: 2nd January 2003

13. Name: Richard Hamill
Age: 28 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Defence Association
Date of Death: 19th January 2003

14. Name: John Gregg
Age: 32 (protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Date of Death: 1st February 2003

15. Name: Robert Carson
Age: 33 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Date of Death: 1st February 2003

16. Name: Micheal O’Hare
Age: 36 (Catholic)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 1st March 2003
 
17. Name: Keith Rodgers
Age: 24 (Catholic)
Killed By: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Date of Death: 12th March 2003

18. Name: James Johnston
Age: 45 (Protestant)
Killed By: Loyalists (LOY)
Date of Death: 8th May 2003

19. Name: Gareth O’Connor
Age: 24 (Catholic)
Killed By:  Unknown
Date of Death: 11th May 2003

20. Name: Alan McCullough
Age: 21 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Date of Death: 28th May 2003

21. Name: Daniel McGurk
Age: 35 (Catholic)
Killed By: ‘Real’ Irish Republican Army (RIRA)
Date of Death: 17th August 2003

22. Name: James McGinley
Age: 23 (Catholic)
Killed By: Bartholomew Fisher
Date of Death: 11th October 2003

23. Name: John Allen
Age: 31 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Date of Death: 8th November 2003

24. Name: James McMahon
Age: 21 (Catholic)
Killed By: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Date of Death: 21st November 2003

2004

25. Name: Andrew Cully
Age: 40’s (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Date of Death: 24th March 2004

26. Name: Brian Stewart
Age: 34 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Date of Death: 18th May 2004

27. Name: Kevin McAlorum
Age: 31 (Catholic)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 3rd June 2004

28. Name: Darren Thompson
Age: 22 (Protestant)
Killed By: Loyalists (LOY)
Date of Death: 1st October 2004

2005

29. Name: Robert McCartney
Age: 33 (Catholic)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 30th January 2005

30. Name: Stephen Montgomery
Age: 30’s (Catholic)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 13th February 2005

31. Name: Lisa Dorrian
Age: 25 (Protestant)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 28th February 2005

32. Name: Stephen Nelson
Age: 55 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Date of Death: 18th March 2005

33. Name: Joseph Rafferty
Age: 29 (Catholic)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 12th April 2005

34. Name: Jameson Lockhart
Age: 25 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Date of Death: 1st July 2005

35. Name: Craig McCausland
Age: 20 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Date of Death: 11th July 2005

36. Name: Stephen Paul
Age: 28 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Date of Death: 31st July 2005

37. Name: Thomas Devlin
Age: 15 (Catholic)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 10th August 2005

38. Name:  Micheal Green
Age: Unknown (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Date of Death: 15th August 2005

39. Name: Martin Conlon
Age: 35 (Catholic)
Killed By: Dissident Republican Group
Date of Death: 7th November 2005

40. Name: Jim Gray
Age: 47 (Protestant)
Killed By: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Date of Death: 4th October 2005

2006

41. Name: Tommy Hallran
Age: 49 (Protestant)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 4th April 2006

42. Name: Micheal McIlveen
Age: 15 (Catholic)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 8th May 2006

43. Name: Mark Christie
Age: 36 (Protestant)
Killed By: Unknown
Date of Death: 22nd August 2006

44. Name: Edward Burns
Age: 36 (Catholic)
Killed By: Dissident Republican Group
Date of Death: 12th March 2006

45. Name: Joe Jones
Age: 38 (Catholic)
Killed By: Dissident Republican Group
Date of Death: 12th March 2006