Sinn Fein has alleged that three west Belfast men have recently been approached by the RUC which offered them incentives, including money and the dropping of charges against them, to become police informers.
At a press conference at the party's headquarters in west Belfast yesterday, one of the men, Mr Kevin Cunningham, claimed he had been asked to gather information on Mr Gearoid Adams, the son of the Sinn Fein president. Another man, Mr Thomas White, alleged that the RUC offered to drop criminal charges against him if he was prepared to become an informer.
In a statement, the RUC said that in its efforts to combat serious crime it had "always relied heavily on intelligence-gathering by lawful means".