Debate contribution: Sectarian Murder of Robert Hamill: Failure of the RUC
Debate contribution by Mr Trevor Clarke on .
- MLA
- Mr Trevor Clarke
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 15 September 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Matter of the Day
- Heading
- Sectarian Murder of Robert Hamill: Failure of the RUC
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5705436
Read the official Assembly record
Text
As others have said, obviously, today is about Robert Hamill and his death, and we all remember him. Others may disagree, but, whilst we are remembering him, we cannot forget all the others who lost their lives in Northern Ireland having been brutally murdered. The inquiry report has not given to Sinn Féin the grounds for triumphalism that it wished for, because it did not come out with a finding of collusion. That is the problem with such inquiries costing £33 million. Already, we have a sense today that the Members opposite are not happy with the content. On the one hand, they are talking about the death of this young, innocent man, which, as we all agree, was wrong. On the other hand, they are not happy with the findings. Of course, we have seen that before with Sinn Féin in the inquiries in Londonderry, one of which it did not take part in. The Member for Mid Ulster said that every victim deserves justice, and I agree. Every victim does deserve justice. The only way that we will get justice in this country is if everyone plays their part, but, of course, Sinn Féin and those whom it has been involved with have failed to play their part for many, many years. I will not be lectured by Sinn Féin about a one-sided justice system, and I am not here today to listen to the rewriting of history, but I will speak about the failings of the police. It is clear from the report that there were failings in the investigation. As other members of the Policing Board will find, those are not the first failings to be revealed, and I am sure that they will not be the last. That is not an excuse; the police need to get better. As I said at the outset, however, it is clear that there was no collusion. I go back to what the proposer of the Matter of the Day said about the police officers in the Land Rover. One has to ask why they were in Portadown in an armoured Land Rover. Why was there a need for the armoured Land Rover and for the police officers to have to stay inside the vehicle? Of course, it would be nothing to do with the fact that the organisation linked to Sinn Féin — the IRA — was targeting members of the security forces. They were in the vehicle for their own safety. However, key in this — never forget — is that there was no collusion whatsoever. Mr Tennyson said that every family deserves truth and justice. He criticised my colleague for talking about the cost. Is the Member for Upper Bann suggesting that every death in Northern Ireland deserves a £33 million inquiry? Clearly, as we can see from this inquiry, if Sinn Féin do not get the answers that they want, they are never going to be satisfied.
492 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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