Beyond the Long Good Friday—Reforming the RUC

Abstract

While the Patten Report provides a recent review, policing in Northern Ireland has rarely slipped out of the headlines. This paper offers a brief historical critique of the RUC, and then shows that a significant number of Catholics and Nationalists are unhappy with current policing arrangements. With the Good Friday Agreement there is the possibility of a political settlement in Northern Ireland, which is a necessary condition for the reform of the RUC. The Patten Commission was set up by the Good Friday Agreement and reported on 9 September 1999. There is now an unprecedented opportunity to build a police service acceptable to all the main factions.