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Police Reform – 1998

The Independent Commission on Policing in Northern Ireland also known as the Patten Commission began work shortly after its establishment on 3 June 3, 1998. Chris Patten chaired the eight-member Independent Commission. The commission’s main responsibility was to carry out a fundamental review of the overwhelmingly Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and recommend proposals for a new policing service that is “professional, effective and efficient, fair and impartial, free from partisan political control; accountable, both under the law for its actions and to the community it serves; representative of the society it polices, and operates within a coherent and cooperative criminal justice system, which conforms with human rights norms.” The commission organized a number of public and private meetings with youth groups. Estimated 10,000 people attended the public meetings with over 1,000 speaking. The commission also received more than approximately 2,500 individual written submission.¹

1. “A New Beginning: Policing in Northern Ireland,” Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland, 1999, accessed January 29, 2013, http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/police/patten/patten99.pdf.