Statement by TUV East Belfast Assembly candidate John Ross:
“The report published by the Police Ombudsman’s Office which accuses the RUC of “collusive behaviours” paints a totally misleading picture of the security forces. In using such a term the Office is unfairly blackening the name of the security forces. In the way this is being reported it is easy to miss the key fact that police had no prior knowledge of any of the attacks.
“What has been described in the report is not collusion as it is commonly understood by the public. Neglect and incompetence would be much better terms to employ.
“Why does there appear to be a one-sided approach to the practice of running informers whereby the Ombudsman looks only at loyalist paramilitaries? The problem of police tolerating criminal activity by IRA members who are informers is rarely addressed. If tolerating criminal activity to maintain an informer’s cover is “collusion”, then do not the police also “collude” with the IRA and dissident republicans?
“A key point in all of this is that in the most notorious case, the Greysteel massacre, the criminals involved were apprehended and put behind bars by the very police force the Ombudsman has accused of “collusive behaviours”.”