Press Releases - 2002

8 February 2002

Application for Judicial Review of Ombudsman's Report

Issued by Jimmy Spratt, Chairman of the Police Association

STATEMENT

The Police Association was established by the Police Association Regulations 1991 to represent all ranks of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The members of the Police Association have waited since the publication of the Police Ombudsman's Report into the Omagh Bombing Enquiry for the Ombudsman to acknowledge and correct the factual inaccuracies in her Report and the offence which it caused to our entire organisation and so many individual officers.

The Police Association met on 8th February to consider the recommendations of the Policing Board on the Omagh Reports and noted that the Ombudsman had taken no step to right the wrongs which it strongly feels had been done.

The Association concluded that it had no alternative but to apply to the High Court for Judicial Review of the Ombudsman's Report in order to have considered in an apolitical forum its inaccuracies and unfairness.

It is a matter of deep regret to the Police Association that it should have to resort to legal proceedings. Unfortunately there seems to be no alternative.