Sinn Féin has called for the immediate dismissal of the RUC chief constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, and the RUC to be disbanded after a television programme last night alleged that the police force were in collusion with paramilitary groups in the North. Sinn Féin Assembly member for Upper Bann, Dr Dara O'Hagan, said the BBC Panorama progamme was a damning indictment of both the RUC and Sir Ronnie Flanagan.
In the programme, the RUC Chief Constable denied that he had told a UN Special Rapporteur Param Cumuraswamy that a number of lawyers were working for a paramilitary agenda.
There have been increased calls for independent inquiries into the murders of northern solicitors Rosemary Nelson and Pat Finucane following the programme. The SDLP Assembly member Bríd Rogers said the programme had underlined the serious question marks over the two murders. Ms Rogers said the contradictory elements of some of the chief constable's replies to a number of questions must lead to grave concern.
