SDLP and Chief Constable hold 'lengthy meeting'

The SDLP has held talks with the North's Chief Constable, the first such meeting since Mr Hugh Orde criticised the party over…

The SDLP has held talks with the North's Chief Constable, the first such meeting since Mr Hugh Orde criticised the party over its use of policing issues during the Assembly election campaign. There was no reference to that criticism following the talks.

Following what the party said was a "lengthy meeting", the SDLP leader, Mr Mark Durkan, called for early publication of the Cory report on cases alleged to have involved loyalist collusion. Mr Durkan also called for the suspension of any individual named in the report pending further inquiry.

The delegation also raised concerns about it called "the non-disclosure by the police of all relevant information to inquests".

Ms Patricia Lewsley, a Lagan Valley Assembly member, said: "Recent comments by a coroner about the failure of the PSNI to disclose information is a very serious matter. The Chief Constable agreed that he would look again at this issue which the SDLP believes should be undertaken without delay and for disclosure to proceed without further doubt."

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The group, which included Assembly members Ms Dolores Kelly, Mr Thomas Burns and Mr Alex Attwood, then turned to the recent arrest and later release of two men at the offices of the Police Fund, a body set up to aid widows and former police officers.

Mr Burns also referred to the use of Gough barracks in Armagh city as a holding centre.

"This is in breach of Patten and of previous declarations that Gough was closed," he said. "The Chief Constable stated that an attempt was being made to fast-forward the upgrading of Bangor police station to comply with holding centre requirements as a stop-gap.

"This arrangement would only arise if there were a complete systems failure at Antrim. The SDLP made it absolutely clear that Antrim and only Antrim should be used as a holding centre as Patten proposed."