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Northern Ireland: Special Branch 'spying' on Sinn Fein candidate

01 May 2003

Sinn Fein has expressed serious concern about Special Branch attempts to recruit a Derry
man to inform on republican Assembly candidate Raymond McCartney. The man claims he
had been arrested by the PSNI for non-payment of a fine and while in custody he was
approached by a PSNI man who told him a community worker wished to speak with him.

"This community worker started asking me questions about my background, my hobbies
and the like and, as he was supposed to be a community worker, I saw nothing wrong in
answering him." said the man "Eventually he said he was unable to help and I was put back
into my cell. Shortly afterwards two men who said they were community policemen, came
to talk to me. They started asking me about my life and the various things I did and it was
only later I realized they were using the information I had given to this so-called community
worker. They then started asking me about how they were in the business of crime
prevention and said that I could help them to prevent crime happening, as I was well placed
in the local community."

The man claims that at this point the men in question asked him if he would keep an eye on
Sinn Fein Assembly candidate Raymond McCartney. The man asked them if they were
asking him to be a "tout' and in response they again talked of crime prevention.

"They then asked me who would I rather be talking to, them or Martin McGuinness?"

Describing the man's claims as "sinister and extremely worrying," Sinn Fein councillor
Barney O'Hagan said it appeared the Special Branch were still operating under the Walker
guidelines - which dictate that Special Branch must be notified of anyone coming into
contact with the PSNI so they can be assessed for suitability as informers.

"This young man found himself on the wrong side of the traffic laws and ended up being
asked to work as an informer," said O'Hagan, who added, "I believe this is a sinister
incident, especially when set against the background of collusion as revealed by the Stevens
report. Given what we know about collusion it is clear that Special Branch operated loyalist
death squads and we would be very concerned about their interest in Raymond McCartney.
Why are Special Branch focusing on one of our candidates? Are they setting him up for
assasination?"

"The people of Derry do not need or want this type of 'community policing' and that is why
Sinn Fein is fighting for a proper new beginning to policing. We need the complete
disbandment of the Special Branch and those former Special Branch officers who
transferred into the uniform branch have to be rooted out."

(RM News 29.4.03)