ABOUT 500 RUC and Garda officers will take part in a joint 1,000 mile torch run around Ireland to raise funds to enable mentally disabled athletes to compete in the Special Olympics Ireland.
The nine day run, which covers, 900 miles, will start in Dublin on June 19th and pass through 27 counties from Antrim to Cork and from Donegal to Wexford.
The runners will arrive in Dublin for the opening ceremony of the 1996 Special Olympics Ireland Games at UCD. About 1,000 athletes from 32 countries will take part.
Speaking in Belfast, the Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, praised the "long history of cross Border co-operation" between the RUC and the Garda.
"It is good to see them participating in this exciting sporting challenge which will benefit athletes who have shown tremendous courage to overcome their disabilities.
Simultaneous launches of the Torch Run were held in Belfast and Dublin yesterday.
The Taoiseach, the US ambassador, Mrs Jean Kennedy Smith and the Garda Commissioner, Mr Patrick Culligan, attended the launch held at Dublin Castle.
Although this is the third time the Garda has been involved in this event, it is the first year that the run will cross into Northern Ireland.
"I presented the idea to Chief Constable Sir Hugh Annesley," Mr Culligan explained, "and he took to the prospect with glee."