The North's First Minister wants the Police Ombudsman and the Chief Constable to publish their full reports concerning the Omagh investigation so the public can make up its own mind.
Mr Trimble welcomed the sentencing yesterday of Colm Murphy in connection with the bombing in 1998 which killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, but said the success of this first conviction was overshadowed by the "controversy generated by the Police Ombudsman".
"It is time she published her allegations and the Chief Constable published his rebuttal. The public is entitled to make its own judgment," he said.
Addressing the a.g.m. of the East Antrim Unionist Association last night he added: "I believe when that happens that the public will be reassured that the Chief Constable has demolished the argument that intelligence was mishandled and the Ombudsman's implication that somehow the RUC could have prevented Omagh."
Mr Trimble called for effective demarcation of the responsibilities of the Policing Board and the Ombudsman. "The efficiency and effectiveness of the Police Service is the Policing Board's proper concern, not the Ombudsman's."
He said confidence in the new policing arrangements had been damaged by the controversy and he shared the view that the Ombudsman may have made it impossible for her office to maintain any constructive relationship with the police.
The Police Superintendents Association yesterday called for a watchdog to be established to monitor the Ombudsman's office. Its president, Mr Bill Lowry, said confidence in Mrs Nuala O'Loan was being eroded. "If this is an indication of the standard of her investigations, then it doesn't give me much confidence," he said.
Further complaints were made by Mr Victor Barker whose 12-year-old son died in the Omagh bombing. "This whole thing is becoming a complete fiasco with both sides standing against each other," he said. "If there's anything in [the Ombudsman's\] report that could constructively help the investigation, I'm all in favour of it. But I'm not in favour of this being used as a political football between parties."
He echoed charges made by Sir Ronnie Flanagan against Mrs O'Loan's findings saying: "On a number of occasions people weren't given time to respond adequately." He said they were then treated as if they were deliberately obstructing the investigation.
The issues between the Chief Constable and the Ombudsman now go to the Policing Board. Its next meeting is on February 7th and it is expected that both Sir Ronnie and Mrs O'Loan will address the board privately about the Omagh investigation.