U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Policing Northern Ireland: Conflict, Legitimacy and Reform

NCJ Number
213536
Author(s)
Aogan Mulcahy
Date Published
2006
Length
240 pages
Annotation
This book examines how the police in Northern Ireland--the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and its successor, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)--have attempted to achieve legitimacy in communities with divided political loyalties, a mistrust of the state, and a history of violence and conflict.
Abstract
For decades Northern Ireland has been embroiled in conflict rooted in divided religious, national, and group localities that have spurred paramilitary violence, social conflict, mistrust of state security forces, and a lack of consensus about the future direction of Northern Ireland. In the wake of the 1994 paramilitary ceasefires, a debate on policing ensued. The challenge was to create a police force whose composition, perceived identity and purpose, and policing style would gain the support of residents with opposing national and political allegiances. The book first examines what strategies of police reform were implemented throughout the conflict in an effort to remedy the crisis over the RUC's legitimacy with the population as a whole. It then discusses the forms of representation used by the RUC to promote itself in a way that might attract public support, particularly among those who have resisted existing state authority and legitimacy. This is followed by an assessment of how the segments of the population most resistant to RUC policing responded to RUC promotion efforts. The book concludes with a discussion of how the nature of the peace process has impacted issues of police legitimacy, with attention to the reform agenda outlined in the 1999 Patten Report and the establishment and operation of the PSNI and other organizations involved in the maintenance of public order in Northern Ireland. 425 references and a subject index