Roy McComb

PSNI 25th anniversary: Agreeing a new emblem was first big test, says Pauline McCabe trib.al/N7OveGt

I was there, and I can say without hesitation that the RUC stood on the front line against terrorist organisations that murdered, maimed and terrorised all communities throughout the Troubles. IRA gangs exercised coercive control over communities through intimidation, threats and violence. They carried out thousands of punishment attacks, including kneecappings and savage beatings, leaving many young Catholics permanently crippled, disabled and traumatised. These gangs also kidnapped, tortured and murdered people, including members of the very Catholic communities they claimed to defend. Indeed, historical records demonstrate that republican paramilitaries were responsible for more Catholic deaths during the Troubles than any other category of organisation. By comparison, Malcolm Sutton’s Index of Deaths, published through Ulster University’s CAIN archive, attributes just 55 deaths to the RUC throughout the Troubles, compared with 1,823 attributed to the IRA and 2,058 to republican paramilitary organisations collectively. The RUC deaths must also be examined in their proper context. The recorded circumstances include police operations against armed terrorist organisations, attempted ambushes and other security incidents. Deaths occurring during operational police duties should not automatically be equated with deliberate terrorist murders. Equally, the lawfulness of any particular use of force must be determined by the evidence and circumstances of that case. I served through those years and witnessed firsthand the threats, violence and realities faced by police officers and the communities they were sworn to protect. History must be judged on documented evidence, not selective narratives or political convenience. The facts speak for themselves. Evidence matters, context matters, and historical truth matters.

Today, we mark 25 years of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. For a quarter of a century, police officers and staff have worked to keep people safe, protect the vulnerable and build confidence in policing. We reflect with pride and look forward with purpose.

Update on investigation into the Drumcree /Garvaghy Road protest. Assistant Chief Constable Beck has confirmed that the investigative work to build evidential cases relating to those involved in the Drumcree/Garvaghy Road protest continues. Details here: orlo.uk/I1u7Q

Al Jazeera Investigates: Contract Killers and the Far Right. Watch in full here: youtube.com/watch?v=zNXMcgFA…

Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson sentenced to 15 years in prison for child sex abuse offences Read more: bbc.in/3VRg7FK

This Anti-Slavery Week, we’re putting the spotlight on human trafficking.  BBC's ‘Caitlin Hanna: Trafficked in Belfast’ tells a tragic story of grooming and exploitation: orlo.uk/i9OzZ If you are being exploited, speak to us.  We are here to listen and to help you.

My comments on the policing operation in Portadown: orlo.uk/FKVnS

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher’s statement on the decision of the Secretary of State, Sir Chris Bryant, can be read on our website, here - orlo.uk/3m9Di