Police 'demand Real IRA sources'

Police 'demand Real IRA sources'

Ms Breen received the claim of responsibility for the Massereene murders
A journalist has said she has been threatened with legal action if she does not reveal Real IRA information sources.
Suzanne Breen, Sunday Tribune northern editor, received the Real IRA's claim of responsibility for the murder of two soldiers at Massereene base in March.
She said she would not comply with police demands to reveal her contacts.
Police said they would use all possible legal means "to access information which may assist their inquiries".
Sappers Mark Quinsey, 23, from Birmingham, and Patrick Azimkar, 21, from London, were shot dead as they collected pizzas outside Massereene barracks in Antrim on March 7.
Ms Breen said police visited her in Belfast last week over the claim of responsibility for the soldiers' murders and an interview with a senior Real IRA representative in which the group admitted killing Provisional IRA informer Denis Donaldson and threatened to murder more soldiers and police.
Sources
In today's Sunday Tribune she wrote: "I won't be complying with the PSNI's demands.
"Compromising sources undermines the freedom of the press. Journalists and police do different jobs.
"Our role is to put information into the public domain. If a journalist becomes a gatherer of evidence or a witness for the state, they cease being a journalist."
She said she was given seven days to hand over information.
Jeremy Dear of the National Union of Journalists said the union would "stand firm" with Ms Breen.
"The right of journalists to protect their sources is a fundamental press freedom and must be respected," he said.
"The authorities must recognise the special nature of journalistic material and respect Suzanne Breen's right to keep her sources confidential."
A police spokesman said: "The investigation into this atrocity is active and ongoing. Police will use every possible legal means to access information which may assist their inquiries.
"All victims of the Massereene attack, their families and the community expect and deserve nothing less."

http://www.tribune.ie/news/article/2009/may/03/im-not-going-to-put-my-life-in-danger-to-do-the-ps/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8031550.stm

Systematic Failure Of Police Special Branch

By Chris Anderson.

A former senior police officer has told the inquiry into the murder of LVF leader, Billy Wright there was a systematic failure on the part of RUC Special Branch officers to warn people their lives were under threat.

Vincent McFadden, the senior investigating officer with the Stevens Team which investigated allegations of security force and loyalist collusion in Northern Ireland , said he had evidence RUC Special Branch had failed to warn 255 individuals their lives were at risk during a two year period between 1989 and 1991.

He said the majority of the 255 individuals were members of the Catholic community and some had links to paramilitary organisations.

Mr McFadden said the Stevens Team found no evidence that any of the individuals had ever been warned by the RUC that their lives were under threat.

The inquiry was told a number of those threatened were later shot and killed.

The former Detective Chief Superintendent said he knew of instances where RUC Special Branch failed to take act on the receipt of intelligence they received.

He said he had records in his possession which showed this to be the case.

Mr McFadden said other security agencies – including British military intelligence - had “sanitised” information passed between them making it difficult to take action.

He said in some instances the military knew the RUC were not acting on intelligence received but did nothing to alter that fact.

Vincent McFadden said there were instances where agents had told their security force handlers about threats to individuals but no further action was taken.

When asked by Alan Kane QC, counsel for the Wright family, if the RUC were behaving with equal disregard involving the right to life of individuals from both sections of the community Mr McFadden responded with a qualified “yes”.

The Inquiry heard how all Northern Ireland ’s major loyalist and republican paramilitary were heavily infiltrated by RUC Special Branch and the British Army’s Force Research Unit (FRU).

The infiltration was extensive and included the upper echelons of the UDA/UFF, IRA and INLA.

The inquiry panel was also told loyalist and republican agents run by RUC Special Branch and FRU had been involved in committing serious criminal offences.

The Wright Inquiry was told the Stevens team had not investigated the circumstances of the LVF leader’s murder.

But, Vincent McFadden said based on his reading of witness statements he believed the authorities had failed in their duty of care responsibility towards Billy Wright.

When questioned by counsel for the PSNI, Mr McFadden admitted his understanding of Billy Wright’s murder was superficial.

The Inquiry was told the Stevens Team did not have any evidence of a threat to Billy Wright’s life prior to his murder at the Maze prison in December 1997.

However, Vincent McFadden said it did not take a “rocket scientist” to know there was a threat to the Portadown loyalist and that it should have been taken seriously.