Collusion

Collusion is any act, or omission of an act, in which state agents encourage or engage in criminal actions with illegal forces. It can never be justified. Collusion, we believe, prolonged the conflict in Ireland by reducing, and in some cases destroying, public confidence in the law and in state agencies.

Collusion

Collusion has been defined many times. Peter Cory, the Canadian Supreme Court judge defined it in his report into the case of Pat Finucane as follows:

“ …army and police forces must not act collusively by ignoring or turning a blind eye to the wrongful acts of their servants or agents or supplying information to assist them in their wrongful acts or encouraging them to commit wrongful acts” (page 21-22).

The current Police Ombudsman, in his report into the Loughinisland Massacre, defined it as

“a conscious or deliberate act or omission, by means of which police officers intended to assist offenders either in the commission of a crime or in avoiding detection or apprehension”.

The PFC believes collusion is any act, or omission of an act, in which state agents encourage or engage in criminal actions with illegal forces. It goes without saying we believe it can never be justified. Collusion, we believe, prolonged the conflict in Ireland by reducing, and in some cases destroying, public confidence in the law and in state agencies.

Moreover, collusion is a unique crime in that those who collude are also in control of the evidence of their crime. It follows that agencies established to detect and prevent collusion, such as the Office of the Police Ombudsman, should robustly investigate any credible claim of collusion.

Related content

Find out more about Collusion and State Violence at Powerbase

See also https://relativesforjustice.com/ for extensive background on campaigns and updates around collusion.

See also http://www.dublinmonaghanbombings.org/home/ Campaign to support victims and survivors in the Republic-a project of the PFC   

PFC is supporting a number of families involved in Operation Kenova-the Stakeknife investigation - http://www.opkenova.co.uk/

Latest Articles

  • Widows settle collusion cases against MOD & PSNI

    Two widows, whose husbands were murdered by the UDA in separate incidents in 1976, have accepted substantial settlements in cases brought against the MOD & PSNI. Mary Loughrey, widow of Jim Loughrey, and Marie Newton, widow of John Toland, settled their cases for an undisclosed six figure sum.
  • PRESS STATEMENT in relation to the settlement of the Campbell family Civil Case, Monday 21 November 2022

    There is something wrong with a society that forces the widow and children of Pat Campbell to have to take legal action against elements of that state to get some small level of satisfaction for the pain and hurt that was visited on the family late in the evening of Monday 29 October 1973 by then...
  • BELFAST MURDERS: WHAT ARE POLICE TRYING TO HIDE?

    A new article by Anne Cadwallader for Declassified UK on the murders at Sean Graham's on Belfast's Ormeau Road, and the key question - What is the PSNI trying to hide?
  • Crown V Brian Nelson Sentence of the Court

    5 page sentencing document from the trial of FRU agent Brian Nelson. Given what is now known about Nelson and the extent to which FRU was involved in colluding with the UDA Justice Kelly's remarks on mitigation ring hollow indeed.
  • Court Docs-Crown V Nelson-Evidence of Gordon Kerr-Colonel 'J'

    Transcript of the evidence of Nelson's FRU handler Gordon Kerr-ciphered in court as Colonel 'J'

Declassified Documents

  • DEFE 24/822 - Ministry of Defence Letter 7 August 1972

    Ministry of Defence internal letter where allegations of collusion are discussed in relation to UDR arms losses.
    Read more
  • British Govt Legal Advice on UDA roadblocks

    Orwellian legal advice on UDA roadblocks from 1972 Advice note from Ministry of Home Affairs dated 22 August 1972 (by this date the duties of this Ministry had been taken over by the Northern Ireland Office) which seeks to retrospectively justify UDA roadblocks which were frequent throughout Belfast and elsewhere in the summer of 1972. The advice note states that...
    Read more
  • Subversion in the UDR and Annex E

    The original intelligence report prepared for the Joint Intelligence Committee and Downing St
    Read more
  • Diary entry from Attorney General

    A diary of the meeting between J.M Parkin, Head of C2 and HQNI and Attorney General Basil Kelly and additional confirmation that the Attorney General fully understood that HQNI was telling him that he should not prosecute soldiers. In effect the military tail was wagging the legal dog. This meeting took place less than two months before Bloody Sunday
    Read more
  • Memo of meeting between Attorney General and British Army

    Two pages of a memo (AG 1971 p2 and AG 1971 p3) concerning the visit of a J.M. Parkin, Head of C2 at HQNI (British Army HQ) in the North to the then Attorney General Basil Kelly, a Unionist MP. In reference to any potential prosecutions of soldiers for the murder of civilians Parkin notes,
    Read more