Repsect for human rights is the key to successful policing in Northern Ireland, according to RUC chief constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan.
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The RUC is today hosting a two-day conference on Human Rights and Policing at the Hilton Hotel in Belfast and will feature speakers from the RUC, international lawyers and representatives of policing organisations.
It will address issues of police accountability, policing a diverse society and the European perspective on policing.
Sir Ronnie said: "The tensions in our society present unique policing challenges. By placing respect for human rights at the core of policing we seek to balance the often-conflicting interests of our diverse communities".
The Committee on the Administration of Justice, the Council of Europe, Amnesty International and the International Red Cross will be represented at the conference.
Assistant chief constable Mr Sam Kinkaid, who organised the conference, said: "The police service has sought to embrace the Human Rights Act 1998 in as positive a manner as possible. As stated in the Patten Report, we seek to adopt a human-rights approach, which will address the philosophy of policing rather than mere lip-service".
The RUC has been accused of past involvement in human rights abuses and has been the subject of protracted negotiations on its future under the Belfast Agreement.
The SDLP and the Catholic Church recently endorsed the British government’s recent package of police reforms, opening the way for the creation of a new police service (called the Police Service of Northern Ireland) whose membership is drawn from all sections of the community.