Latest news with #CoDown
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Racism and Northern Ireland
Sir, – I have just returned home to Northern Ireland from a funeral in Dublin today of a dear friend of my wife who also passed away only a couple of weeks ago. I met some delightful young people who were appalled at the racial prejudice shown on our streets in the past week. They are aware of course of similar incidents in the Republic. I find that our future is in good hands with the positive attitude of these young people in rejecting racism in all its forms. I'm in my 80s and have witnessed Northern Ireland before the Troubles. READ MORE My wife and I raised three delightful children during those times and am now experiencing the aftermath of the peace process. The people who are being abused, as we know, are fleeing from hatred and violence to seek refuge in our beautiful country. We should be privileged with their choices. Unfortunately, our political leaders from both sides of our divide have shown poor leadership in confronting the events of the past week. I fully support the PSNI but they have not had their finest hour. Our leaders on both sides of the Border need to show solidarity in finding a resolution to this serious problem. – Yours, etc, GERRY MCQUILLAN, Saintfield, Co Down.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman stepping aside temporarily due to commentary ‘detracting' from work
Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland Marie Anderson is to step aside temporarily because of 'current commentary', which she said was 'detracting' from the focus of her work. On Tuesday, Ms Anderson said she was taking a leave of absence with immediate effect. Authority will be delegated to the body's chief executive and senior staff in her absence 'to ensure the vital work of the office continues', she said. Unionist parties had called for Ms Anderson to temporarily stand down following an alleged incident at her home in Co Down in September 2023. A man was arrested and later issued with a police caution. READ MORE Earlier this month a file was sent to the North's Public Prosecution Service (PPS) following the conclusion of an investigation, which was carried out by West Midlands Police at the request of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. A spokeswoman for the PPS said one individual was reported for potential offences of perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office. Ms Anderson is a solicitor and member of the Law Society of Northern Ireland. She was appointed Police Ombudsman in 2019 having been a former Public Services Ombudsman and deputy Police Ombudsman. As ombudsman, she is responsible for overseeing investigations into complaints about police conduct. She said that 'although I had decided to retire in December this year, which would have allowed me to fulfil my commitments to delivering the outcomes of investigations to a number of bereaved families, it has become increasingly clear that current commentary is detracting from the focus of that work. 'I am extremely grateful to those families who put their trust in me. And it is their interests which are at the heart of my decision to take a temporary leave of absence with immediate effect.' Ms Anderson said she had 'every confidence in all my staff and know they will work diligently' and she thanked them for their support in recent times. Trevor Clarke, a DUP MLA and member of the Policing Board scrutiny body, said Ms Anderson 'should have stepped aside at the time' but the statement 'appears to have only come following more significant public discussion on the news'. 'During that time there has been continued damage to public confidence in the Ombudsman's office,' he added.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Northern Ireland's Police Ombudsman takes temporary leave
Northern Ireland's Police Ombudsman has announced she is taking a temporary leave of absence. Marie Anderson said she has delegated authority in her office's chief executive and senior staff to ensure the work examining complaints around the conduct of police in the region can continue in her absence. It comes following the conclusion of an independent investigation into events relating to an incident at a property linked to Ms Anderson in Holywood, Co Down in 2023. Police Service of Northern Ireland officers went to the property at about 6.30pm on Saturday September 23 2023, after a report of a domestic incident. A man was arrested as part of the inquiry and later released pending a report to prosecutors. A file was subsequently sent to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) and a caution issued to the man who had been arrested. West Midlands Police were then tasked with investigating further aspects of the incident. They concluded their investigation earlier this month, and a file of evidence was sent to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS). On Tuesday, Ms Anderson said she has taken the decision to take a leave of absence due to 'current commentary'. 'Although I had decided to retire in December this year, which would have allowed me to fulfil my commitments to delivering the outcomes of investigations to a number of bereaved families, it has become increasingly clear that current commentary is detracting from the focus of that work,' she said. 'I am extremely grateful to those families who put their trust in me, and it is their interests which are at the heart of my decision today to take a temporary leave of absence with immediate effect.' She went on: 'In my absence, I am delegating authority to my chief executive and senior staff as appropriate. 'This will ensure the vital work of the office continues, as there is no legal provision for the office to function without a Police Ombudsman. 'I have every confidence in all my staff and know they will work diligently and am grateful for their support in recent times.'
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
‘Full steam ahead': NI adventurer one of four UK crew rowing 3,200 miles across Atlantic in charity challenge
A Co Down man is the only person from Northern Ireland to take on a 3,200-mile rowing challenge in an attempt to raise £200,000 for sick children. Matt Redmond (30), from Dromore, will compete in the Atlantic Dash 2026 — a formidable four-person journey across the Atlantic Ocean, starting in Lanzarote and ending in Antigua — in January.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Search and rescue dogs: ‘They could be a person's last hope of survival'
Davy Fraser is explaining why Search and Rescue Dog Association Ireland North (Sarda IN) do what they do – 'You see a family standing wondering what's going on ... and if you can do something to help' – when his phone rings. The pop song Who Let the Dogs Out? echoes across the yard at Tollymore National Outdoor Centre near Newcastle, Co Down. This is where Sarda IN is based. 'That's a call out,' his colleague, Trevor Hartley, says. Hartley's phone begins ringing too, then another, then another, until a chorus of ringtones echoes around the forest that surrounds the centre. READ MORE It is the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) asking for Sarda IN's help to find a missing person. Within minutes, the handlers – and their dogs – are in their vehicles and have taken to the road, blue lights flashing. The only registered voluntary search dog team in Northern Ireland, Sarda IN is part of the North's official search and rescue effort and is tasked by the PSNI, fire service , mountain rescue and gardaí to find and rescue people missing on both sides of the Border. In its lifetime – the charity was founded in 1978 – its dogs and handlers, all volunteers, have carried out 3,000 search missions, and last year dealt with 32 call-outs. These are specialist dogs, explains training officer Rafe O'Connor. In addition to six mountain rescue dogs, they have four urban search and rescue dogs that work for the fire service and are part of the international search team that are dispatched to earthquakes abroad. There are four trailing dogs that are 'scene-specific', says O'Connor. Cadaver dog Rosie waiting for a turn during a training session at a quarry. Photograph: Alan Betson 'So, for example, if an elderly person has gone missing, they can find them up to 24 hours [afterwards by] following a specific scent trail,' he says. 'We have four cadaver specialist search dogs, which is for deceased humans – unfortunately, but that's sometimes needed.' The work of the cadaver dogs has been cast into the spotlight after it emerged following the recent sentencing of Richard Satchwell for the 2017 murder of his wife Tina Satchwell in their Youghal, Co Cork home that the State does not have its own such dog. On Friday gardaí investigating the murder of Annie McCarrick , who went missing in Dublin more than 32 years ago, brought in a cadaver dog to search a house in Clondalkin, west Dublin, that had been sealed off, though it was not one of the dogs from Sarda IN. Nelly, a cadaver dog, sits and waits during search training. Photograph: Alan Betson Following the Satchwell case, Sarda NI has written to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris 'reminding him of the assets we have and that we're more than willing' to assist, says O'Connor. A potential link with the fire service in the Republic is also being explored. Donna Harper knows first-hand the difference a cadaver dog can make. Sarda IN's dogs were deployed to Creeslough, Co Donegal, to search for victims and survivors in the rubble of the suspected gas explosion that killed 10 people in 2022. She waited almost 24 hours for her 14-year-old daughter Leona – the last to be found – to be recovered. 'Without a doubt, we would have been waiting a lot longer if it hadn't been for the dogs,' she says. 'There were a few dogs on site ... they actually went and they sniffed out the area and then indicated to the handlers, who then indicated to the emergency services, where Leona was, and that's how Leona was found. 'It really was an emotional scene – it was incredible to watch them work, and to see what the dogs and their handlers were able to do.' Harper and her family are still in touch with the dogs and handlers who found her daughter, and fundraise for the charity. The State, she says, must either invest in its own dog or fund the work of Sarda IN. 'The Government did say they would help in any way they could, when the explosion happened, so there's no better chance now for them to stand up and help,' she says. 'As a mother, I'm asking them to help now and fund the dogs.' Dr Neil Powell, president and founding member of Sarda IN, with Nelly, a cadaver dog. Photograph: Alan Betson In Co Down, at Sarda IN's base, the team has returned. Dogs and handlers that had been called out were stood down after police identified a location for the missing person. Instead, they return to the planned training exercise. Human blood and bone – the charity has a licence to use small amounts of archaeological remains – has been hidden in a small container inside a shed and beneath a rock. First up is Fraser's dog Rosie, a Labrador-hound mix who was originally a rescue dog. She bounds off and heads straight for the shed; when she finds the scent, she begins to bark loudly, stopping only when she gets her reward – a ball to play with. Next is Sarda IN founder Neil Powell's dog, Nelly, a springer spaniel who has plenty of experience. 'She'll be very quick,' he says. Once released from her lead, Nelly shoots off. 'See that – boom,' says O'Connor. 'That was about five seconds. She's a rocket.' Nelly sits by her find, looking very proud of herself. 'She's saying: 'Give me my toy,'' says Fraser. In the Satchwell case, it was more than six years after Tina's disappearance that a cadaver dog was brought in to assist with the search. The 45-year-old's body was found buried underneath the house in October 2023, more than six years after her disappearance. A garda searching a property with the assistance of a specialist cadaver dog. Photograph: Damien Eagers/ PA Wire The house was searched around the time of her disappearance in 2017 but a cadaver dog was not used. When a dog was deployed during the 2023 search, it focused on the area under the sittingroom stairs, from where human remains were subsequently recovered. [ How was Tina Satchwell left in a makeshift grave under the stairs for more than six years? Opens in new window ] O'Connor is in no doubt that had a dog been used in 2017, Ms Satchwell would have been found. 'If you imagine you've buried a body in the house; what's out there,' he says, gesturing towards the training ground where Nelly is now playing with her ball, 'is a small piece of blood, it's probably 20ml, and it's a tiny piece of bone, but if you've buried a body, I can guarantee within 10m of it the dog will be showing interest in that area'. Would it be 'preferable', as Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan said following Satchwell's conviction, for gardaí to have a dog? 'We don't get involved in operational decisions that's entirely up to a police force,' says O'Connor. But he points out: 'Having one would be lacking in resilience ... you would actually need multiple. We always use two dogs for any operation, one to back up the other.' Today, those dogs and their handlers have a global reputation. In the containers that serve as the charity's headquarters, their gear is always packed and ready, so they can be deployed to an earthquake or a disaster zone at a moment's notice. Dr Neil Powell in a training session with Nelly, a cadaver dog. Photograph: Alan Betson O'Connor points out a photograph of 'the famous Pepper'. 'He was Neil's dog, he was at Lockerbie with him, and that's his original jacket,' he says, referring to the 1988 bomb attack on a Pan Am flight in December 1988 that killed 270 people, including 11 residents of the Scottish town. The best moments are when someone is found alive. In a disused quarry overlooking Newcastle, O'Connor's border collie, Floss – or 'Super Search Dog Floss' as he calls her – shoots off towards the pile of blocks, which simulate a collapsed building. Within about 20 seconds, she has found him. 'The big find Floss got was Carol Grey in 2019 ... which won her Superdog Hero of the Year in 2022,' says O'Connor. 'This lady had been missing from the Ulster Hospital for four days. That's what it's all about for us. 'Those wee dogs there could be a person's last hope of survival,' says Hartley. 'It's amazing to watch what they can do.'
