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Northern Ireland: in brief

01 July 2003

Documents denied: Sir Patrick Mayhew, the Northern Ireland Secretary, has refused to hand over a number of secret inquiry reports pertaining to security forces activities in Northern Ireland. The documents had been requested by Federal judge Barbara Caulfield who is presiding over the Californian extradition trial of James Smyth, one of 38 Maze Prison escapers of 1983. Caulfield recently granted Smyth bail, but this was revoked by an appeal court at the end of July.

Arming women: the British Army and the RUC have both announced changes in policy regarding the arming of women. From October the British Army intends to deploy women to drive armoured personnel carriers and they will be equipped with SA80 assault rifles and pistols. Women are currently used in an unarmed capacity particularly at checkpoints. "The British Army is now an equal opportunities employer", stated a defence source, it is not right to say we'll give equal opportunities but you can't go to Northern Ireland. In a similar move, women RUC officers, numbering about 1,300, will carry weapons from April 1994. The announcement follows a long campaign for equality which has been opposed by some women on the grounds that they will become more of a target.

UDR 4 case: Three serving and two former RUC officers have been charged with offences arising out of the UDR 4 case in which three of the four had their life sentences for the murder of Adrian Carroll quashed. Forensic tests had revealed that RUC interview notes had been substantially re-written. The three released men have each received £25,000 as an initial compensation payment.