FEDERATION ASKS LIBYA'S NTC TO EXTEND COMPENSATION SCHEME

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland is to ask Libya's National  Transitional Committee to extend the compensation scheme originally agreed with Col Gaddafi to cover the families of Royal Ulster Constabulary George Cross and Police Service for Northern Ireland officers killed or injured whether on or off-duty.
 
The Chairman of the Federation, Terry Spence who represents over 7,000 rank and file officers says that the overthrow of Gaddafi now provides the opportunity for the incoming Libyan Government to recognise the injustice to the families of RUC and PSNI officers if officers who were on duty continue to be excluded from the compensation arrangements.
 
"Under the previous agreement Gaddafi had undertaken to compensate the families of civilians killed or injured through explosives and weaponry shipped to Ireland to supply the IRA. That agreement failed to recognise that the police here have always been a normal civilian based police service and not a paramilitary force. The officers were civilians whether on or off-duty.
 
"I have therefore instructed our London solicitors to ask the NTC to relook at the existing  Memorandum of Understanding and to include our officers. Since 1987 when the Eskund was stopped with  150 tonnes of semtex and heavy weaponry 80 more officers have died and hundreds injured including PSNI officers a result of the earlier lethal imports.
 
"I fully understand that the NTC's priority will be the physical and civic reconstruction of Libya. Nonetheless it would be the mark of a more enlightened and benevolent regime if the NTC agreed to compensate civilians in Northern Ireland including all police officers, killed or injured as a result of Gaddafi's support for the IRA." says Terry Spence.
 
ENDS
 
Note to Editors
Terry Spence will make this announcement on Wednesday morning 14th Sept at a health and safety conference (at La Mon Hotel) organised by the Federation and attended by police representatives from all over the UK and beyond.
 
For further information and requests for interview please call 07501501897

Release Date - 13 Sep 2011