HC Deb 06 July 1988 vol 136 cc636-8W
Miss Widdecombe

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if there has been any developments in the disciplinary proceedings arising out of the Stalker-Sampson investigation.

Mr. Tom King

In my statement of 17 February I informed the House that the Police Authority for Northern Ireland, as the disciplinary authority for chief officer ranks, would be considering what action, if any, was required in respect of individual senior officers in the light of Mr. Sampson's report. The Chief Constable of the RUC had invited Mr. Charles Kelly, the chief constable of Staffordshire, to consider whether disciplinary charges should be brought in the cases of RUC officers of other ranks.

On 29 June the Police Authority, having considered the comments of Mr. Sampson about the role of senior officers in the affair, and having consulted Mr. Sampson, Mr. Kelly and Sir Philip Myers, Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, announced its decision not to appoint an investigating officer to carry out further inquiries and resolved that no disciplinary proceedings needed to be taken. In making its announcement the Police Authority said that Mr. Sampson had made it clear that the evidence adduced did not reveal conduct amounting to criminal behaviour so far as the chief officers were concerned, and that he had advised it that in his view disciplinary proceedings would not be justified.

The authority acknowledged that there had been criticisms concerning operational and administrative matters, but noted that these aspects had been the subject of a special inspection by Mr. Charles McLachlan, one of Her Majesty's inspectors of constabulary, of which I informed the House on 17 February. The Chief Constable has accepted in principle all the recommendations of that report.

As regards officers of other ranks, Mr. Kelly delivered his completed report to the Chief Constable of the RUC on 20 June. On 4 July the Chief Constable announced that he had accepted Mr. Kelly's recommendations and that 20 officers had been notified that they would be the subject of disciplinary proceedings. A chief constable from a mainland force will hear these charges. It is clearly important, in the interests of the public, the RUC and the officers concerned, that these matters are brought to an early conclusion. I have been assured by the Chief Constable that he will do all he can, consistent with the safeguards of the disciplinary procedures, to achieve that end.