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The Challenges of Policing in a Deeply Divided Society

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Policing and Combating Terrorism in Northern Ireland

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Abstract

Northern Ireland is a deeply divided society. From 1969 to 1998 an ethnic conflict raged in the province. During this period there was a high level of terrorist activity. In 1976, the British government introduced a policy of police primacy which placed the RUC at the forefront of combating terrorism. This chapter explores the nature of ethnic terrorism and the challenges it poses to counter-terrorist agencies. It also touches upon the role which organisations played in the United States vis-à-vis support for the republican movement and the nationalist political vision. The problems which a bordering state—the Republic of Ireland—can cause counter-terrorist organisations are examined.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    RUC Roll of Honour, available from http://www.royalulsterconstabulary.org/memorial.htm.

  2. 2.

    British army fatalities, available from http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1972.html.

  3. 3.

    UDR Roll of Honour, available from http://www.udrassociation.org/Roll%20of%20Honour/1982.htm.

  4. 4.

    RUC Roll of Honour, available from http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/victims/docs/group/ruc_gcf/rucgcf_05_roll2.pdf.

  5. 5.

    BBC statistics on military deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq , available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10629358 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10637526.

  6. 6.

    Backs to the Wall, World in Action, 1968. Available on YouTube from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhQAifiSwes.

  7. 7.

    Bobby Sands 66 Days, Cyprus Avenue Films/Fine Point Films.

  8. 8.

    Figures provided by the PSNI , 7 December 2016.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK

    Neil Southern

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Correspondence to Neil Southern .

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Southern, N. (2018). The Challenges of Policing in a Deeply Divided Society. In: Policing and Combating Terrorism in Northern Ireland. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75999-9_2

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