TOM COOPER,
Madam, - Your front-page report of December 28th, "UK urges Dublin to join EU police deal on border", certainly brought an end to my Christmas celebrations. The proposal by the UK government, arising from the 1990 Schengen convention, would allow police from both the North and the Republic to cross the border to engage in surveillance operations or the "hot pursuit" of suspects.
Whatever about members of the Garda crossing the border, to allow members of the PSNI to engage in both overt and covert operations in the Republic is a step too far. This was graphically brought home to me in the Home News section of your edition of the same day in a report by Gerry Moriarty, "Getting to the truth behind Hamill death". The murder of this young man in full view of a number of RUC officers, and the subsequent murder of the solicitor Rosemary Nelson, engaged by the Hamill family to investigate the circumstances of Robert Hamill's death, are compelling reasons to refuse to allow the PSNI to engage in any cross-border activity.
There have been no convictions for the murder of Mr Hamill, and RUC personnel who were present that night are still patrolling the streets of the North.
Why should a police force that is rejected by almost half the population of the North because of its sectarian sub-text be allowed to operate in the Republic? The British government would be better advised to ensure that the Patten report is fully implemented before any consideration is given to cross-border policing. - Yours,
TOM COOPER,
Delaford Lawn,
Knocklyon,
Dublin 16.