Major human rights group slams RUC
Human Rights Watch/Helsinki has recommended that the RUC be
reformed with a view to making it ``publicly accountable''.
In a major report on policing in the Six Counties - To Serve
Without Favour: Policing, Human Rights and Accountability in
Northern Ireland - the group says, ``The emergency regime imposed
on Northern Ireland by the British government invests the RUC
with expansive police powers to stop, question, search, arrest,
detain and interrogate persons merely suspected of terrorist
activity''.. It added that ``intimidation and harassment of
detainees and lawyers representing them is commonplace in the
holding centres''.
The report addresses four ``areas of immediate concern to policing
and human rights''. These are the policing of the summer of 1996
marching season, policing under emergency legislation,
paramilitary assaults and allegations of collusion between
members of the security forces and loyalist paramilitaries.
An Phoblacht will carry a full story of the press conference and
launch of the report in next weeks issue.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)