Victims’ activist: We deplore hate all incidents, yet are baffled at the downgrading of the crime of murder in the context of the Troubles

This newspaper reported on Saturday that a former top policeman warned the PSNI not to stray into the area of “policing people’s thoughts” when it comes to what the force calls ‘hate incidents’.
By Kenny Donaldson
Published 24th Feb 2020, 17:00 BST
Kenny Donaldson: "The PSNI is the police service of this region and we re-submit our view that it is the PSNI who should be the mechanism which investigates the past. The PSNI leadership must start acting as policemen and women and cease concerning themselves with politics"Kenny Donaldson: "The PSNI is the police service of this region and we re-submit our view that it is the PSNI who should be the mechanism which investigates the past. The PSNI leadership must start acting as policemen and women and cease concerning themselves with politics"
Kenny Donaldson: "The PSNI is the police service of this region and we re-submit our view that it is the PSNI who should be the mechanism which investigates the past. The PSNI leadership must start acting as policemen and women and cease concerning themselves with politics"

(The article is here: ‘Non-criminal ‘hate incidents’: PSNI must beware of policing thought says ex-chief superintendent,’ Feb 22).

As a victims organisation, we would firstly wish to make it clear that we oppose all forms of expressions of hate, whether deemed crimes or otherwise. No-one should face discrimination on the basis of their ethnicity, religion, gender, disablement, sexuality or any other category of difference.

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But what those attached to our group cannot fathom is the downgrading of the crime of murder (in the context of the ‘Troubles’) within this society and which has been very apparent within our criminal justice and political systems.

Continually we hear messaging from the PSNI that they have problems investigating ‘The Past’ because of a lack of resources. Isn’t the truth something different? It comes down to priorities, how committed are we to investigating crimes of murder committed by terrorists and those other deaths related to the Troubles?

The PSNI is the police service of this region and we re-submit our view that it is the PSNI who should be the mechanism which investigates the past. The PSNI leadership must start acting as policemen and women and cease concerning themselves with politics. Monies earmarked for the ill-fated Historical Investigations Unit (HIU )should be made available for the work of a beefed up Legacy Investigations Branch.

Kenny Donaldson, Spokesman Innocent Victims United, Fermanagh

Related topics:PSNISpokesmanFermanagh