Security is such a highly politicised issue in Northern Ireland that press officers in the RUC can find themselves in the role of spin doctor.
The RUC's agenda is to portray the force's conduct in the best light and, ultimately, justify its existence in the face of calls for disbandment or reform. In this respect, it will often seek out "good news" stories such as the successful solving of a crime. It also seeks to minimise bad press, either by disproving stories or by keeping as quiet as possible about them. The RUC press office has a very tight-lipped reputation. "You might as well listen to Downtown [a local radio station] as ring them," says one journalist. However, another points to the RUC's efficiency at, for example, obtaining photos of murder victims for the press - not something gardai see as part of their job.
Even the appalling arson attack which killed three children in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, last July illustrates the importance of spin to the impact of an event. After the attack, there were rumours that the attack was criminally motivated rather than sectarian. The NIO became involved and the RUC reacted with uncharacteristic quickness to counter these rumours. The police affirmed that the attack was sectarian - and therefore that it was related to the Drumcree crisis.
Inspector Bob Torrens of the RUC press office says the police were "prompted by what was coming from the Orange side, because they were trying to distance themselves" from the attack - and that sometimes the force must take whatever steps are necessary to put the record straight. This timely intervention helped to copperfasten public feelings of revulsion. As a result, the parades crisis was largely defused. Is it not possible that at least some of the haste in countering these rumours could have come from a desire to damp down the Drumcree crisis?