114-527: The Special Patrol Group ( SPG ) of the Royal Ulster Constabulary was a tactical reserve of 310 officers which had the role: "to provide support to divisional policing both uniform and CID, to police interface areas at times of civil unrest, and to do so in a disciplined way. The Special Patrol Group was preceded by the Reserve Force, the name was changed to Special Patrol Group in 1970 to mirror
228-616: A Quaker meeting hall on Portmore Street; a large Free Presbyterian congregation meets in Levaghery. The pentecostal Light of the World Ministries are located in the town, as are the evangelical neocharismatic Vineyard Church. The Salvation Army have a hall in Edward Street. Saint John the Baptist's Church was built in the townland of Ballyoran in 1783. The original church sat in
342-454: A "siege". Each summer, during the " marching season ", there are many Protestant/loyalist marches in the town. Loyalists put up numerous flags and raise arches over some streets. These marches, and the raising of these flags and arches near the homes of Catholic families, continues to be a source of tension and sometimes violence. Community leaders in Portadown have been involved with
456-465: A detailed report, alleging RUC and paramilitary violations against children's rights during the Troubles . Both Catholic and Protestant children alleged regular and severe physical assault and mental harassment at the hands of RUC officers, usually conducted to force a false confession of a crime. In an accompanying statement, HRW cited allegations that: Police officers and soldiers harass young people on
570-434: A fairly accurate population count can be arrived at by combining the data of the electoral wards that make up Portadown. These wards are Annagh, Ballybay, Ballyoran, Brownstown, Corcrain, Edenderry, Killycomain and Tavanagh. On the day of the last census (21 March 2021) the combined population of these wards was 32,926. Of this population: On the day of the census (21 March 2011) the combined population of these wards
684-452: A hub for the water traffic between Newry and Belfast. There are three bridges across the river at Portadown. Bridge Street and Northway are both road bridges and there is a railway bridge beside the Northway. The 'Bann Bridge' on Bridge Street is the oldest. The story of this bridge is unusual in that it was built without a river running underneath it. After building was complete, the course of
798-589: A leaked internal RUC document which reported that a third of all Catholic RUC officers had reported suffering religious discrimination and/or harassment from Protestant fellow officers. According to The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC , written by RUC reservist Richard Doherty , 314 officers were killed and over 9,000 were injured during the existence of the RUC. All but 12 of
912-556: A military advisor. The RUC was to be 3,000-strong, recruiting 2,000 ex-RIC and 1,000 "A Specials". It was intended that half of the RIC men recruited were to be Catholic, making up a third of positions within the force. However, fewer than half the expected number of Catholics came forward and the balance was made up with more A Specials, who continued to exist as a separate force. Throughout its existence, republican political leaders and most Roman Catholic clerics discouraged Catholics from joining
1026-641: A new clubhouse. A large prisoner-of-war (POW) camp was built at Portadown during World War II. It was at the site of a former sports facility on what was then the western edge of town. This area is now covered by housing from Fitzroy Street and the Brownstown Estates. The camp housed (mostly) German POWs. For a time these POWs were guarded by Welsh servicemen who had been transferred from Germany (known as "Bluecaps") and who were billeted at St Patrick's Hall in Thomas Street. The local newspaper carried
1140-402: A number of houses nearby for English tenants. This mansion was in the area of the present-day Woodside estate, and today's People's Park was part of its grounds. The park is now bounded on either side by Obins Street and Castle Street, both of which are references to "Obin's Castle". In 1631, Obins was granted a licence for a "fair and market", which led to the building of the first bridge across
1254-523: A range of crimes including giving weapons, information and transport to loyalist paramilitaries as well as carrying out shooting and bombing attacks of their own. Weir alleged that senior officers, including Chief Superintendent Harry Breen , were aware of and approved of their activity. On 18 April 2003 as part of the third report into collusion between Ulster loyalist paramilitaries, RUC, and British Army, Sir John Stevens published an Overview and Recommendations document (Stevens 3). Stevens' intention
SECTION 10
#17330858353231368-466: A reflection of the denominational proportions of the population of Northern Ireland at that time. The first two thousand places were filled quickly and those reserved for Catholics were filled mainly by ex-RIC members fleeing north. Due to reluctance by the political establishment to employ too many Catholics (who were seen as potentially disloyal to the Protestant and unionist ethos of the new government)
1482-645: A report released on 22 January 2007, the Police Ombudsman Dame Nuala O'Loan stated Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) informers committed serious crimes, including murder, with the full knowledge of their handlers. The report stated that RUC Special Branch officers created false statements, blocked evidence searches and "baby-sat" suspects during interviews. Awards for gallantry for individual officers since 1969 included 16 George Medals , 103 Queen's Gallantry Medals , 111 Queen's Commendations for Bravery and 69 Queen's Police Medals . On 12 April 2000,
1596-555: A story of another POW camp, adjacent to Killicomaine Castle (also known as Irwin's Castle) in what was then known as "Cullen's Lane" but is now called "Princess Way" and part of the Killicomaine estate, built in 1954 and largely contemporary with other estates built by the then Portadown Borough Council and the former Northern Ireland Housing Trust (now called the Northern Ireland Housing Executive ). A third camp
1710-566: A variety of reasons, including the treatment of Catholic civilians by the Ulster Special Constabulary during the recent conflict and the mistaken belief that Northern Ireland would be ceded to the Free State in the not too distant future. Protestant fears of strategically important government services being infiltrated by Catholics disloyal to the new state polarised society and made most Catholics unwilling and/or unable to join either
1824-472: A wholesale reorganisation of inter-community, governmental and policing systems, including a power-sharing executive. The bias, and the under-representation of Catholics and nationalists in the RUC led to, as part of the Good Friday Agreement, a fundamental policing review, headed by Chris Patten , a former British Governor of Hong Kong and Conservative Minister under Margaret Thatcher . The review
1938-538: Is like that of much of the rest of the UK and Ireland, being a temperate oceanic climate. It has mild temperatures throughout the year, with summer temperatures not reaching levels to be deemed very hot and winter not very cold. Summer temperatures can reach more than 20 °C (68 °F) though it is rare for them to go higher than 30 °C (86 °F). The consistently humid climate that prevails over Ireland can make these temperatures feel uncomfortable when they stray into
2052-518: Is one of only two now remaining, the other at the new roundabout on the Gilford Road, and a rare example of public air raid shelters in Northern Ireland. During the Troubles , there were numerous shootings, bombings and riots in Portadown. The conflict led to the deaths of 45 people in the town. Loyalists killed 25 people: eighteen Catholic civilians, three Protestant civilians, two members of
2166-778: Is the River Bann. The part of the town on the west of the Bann is in Drumcree parish, while the part of the town on the east of the Bann is in Seagoe parish. The site of the Methodist church has moved several times and it now stands in Thomas Street. In 1826, Saint Martin's Church of Ireland was built, and later renamed Saint Mark's. Before this, Church of Ireland members attended either Drumcree Parish Church or Seagoe Parish Church . The current Seagoe Parish Church of St. Gobhan 's (Church of Ireland),
2280-536: Is the site of the long-running Drumcree dispute , over yearly marches by the Protestant Orange Order through the Catholic part of the town, which often sparked violence and protests. In the 1990s, the dispute escalated and prompted a massive security operation, drawing worldwide attention to Portadown. The Portadown area had long been populated by Irish Gaels . At the beginning of the 1600s, it lay within
2394-581: The Anglo-Irish Agreement led to loyalist assaults on more than 500 homes belonging to Catholics and RUC officers during the mid-1980s. At least 150 RUC families were forced to move as a result. In 1998 Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan stated in an interview on television that he was unhappy with any RUC officers belonging to the Orange Order or any of the other loyal orders . While the RUC refused to give any details on how many officers were members of
SECTION 20
#17330858353232508-664: The Anglo-Irish War largely precluded them from remaining in territory now controlled by their enemies. The percentage of Catholics in the RUC dropped as these men retired over time. Notable Catholics in the RUC include RUC Chief Constable Sir James Flanagan , who survived an IRA assassination attempt; Deputy Chief Constable Michael McAtamney; Assistant Chief Constable Cathal Ramsey; Chief Superintendent Frank Lagan, and Superintendents Kevin Benedict Sheehy and Brendan McGuigan. In December 1997, The Independent (London) published
2622-618: The City of London Police , to be seconded for a year. Young's appointment began the long process of turning the RUC into a British police service. The RUC Reserve was formed as an auxiliary police force, and all military-style duties were handed over to the newly formed Ulster Defence Regiment , which was under military command and replaced the B Specials. Callaghan selected Young, a career policeman, because no other British policeman could match his direct experience of policing acutely unstable societies and of reforming gendarmeries . from 1943 to 1945, he
2736-498: The Dungiven Orange Hall following a police baton charge against a crowd who had been throwing stones at the hall. Witnesses later said they had seen police batoning a figure in the doorway where McCloskey was found, although police claimed that he had been unconscious before the baton charge and may have been hit with a stone. He was taken to hospital and died the following day. On 11 October 1969, Constable Victor Arbuckle
2850-549: The McMahon killings on 26 March 1922, in which six Catholics were killed; and the Arnon Street killings several days later on 1 April 1922, in which six more Catholics were shot dead in retaliation for the IRA killing of a policeman. By the mid-1920s the situation had calmed down; for the next forty-five years the murder rate in Northern Ireland would be lower than in the rest of the UK and
2964-554: The Orange Order . This, and subsequent events like the setting up of a 'provisional' Grand Lodge in the town after the 'voluntary' dissolution of the Order in 1825, led to the town being known as 'The Orange Citadel' and was a center of sectarian strife for two centuries. Many of the Blacker family were soldiers or churchmen. The family estate was purchased in 1937 by Portadown Golf Club, who demolished Carrickblacker House in 1988 to make way for
3078-547: The Plantation of Ulster – the organised colonisation of the region by Protestant settlers from Britain , known as 'planters'. In 1610, as part of the Plantation, the lands of Portadown were granted to William Powell. In 1611, he sold his grant of land to Reverend Richard Rolleston, who in turn sold it in two portions to Richard Cope and Michael Obins. Obins built a large Elizabethan -style mansion for himself and his family, and
3192-602: The Provisional Irish Republican Army campaign . This campaign involved the targeting of police officers, and continued until the final ceasefire in 1997, as the peace process gained momentum. The last RUC officer killed, Constable Francis O'Reilly (a Catholic), was also killed by loyalists, in a September 1998 bombing during the Drumcree conflict . In March 1972, the Government of Northern Ireland resigned and
3306-545: The River Bann in the north of the county, about 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Belfast . It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of about 32,000 at the 2021 Census . For some purposes, Portadown is treated as part of the "Craigavon Urban Area", alongside Craigavon and Lurgan . Although Portadown can trace its origins to the early 17th century Plantation of Ulster , it
3420-568: The Ulster Project since it began in 1975. The project involves teenagers from both of Northern Ireland's main communities. The goal is to foster goodwill and friendship between them. Each year, a group of teenagers are chosen to travel to the United States, where they stay with an American family for a few weeks. Portadown sits in a relatively flat part of Ireland , near the southern shore of Lough Neagh . There are two small wetland areas on
3534-603: The government of Northern Ireland . The Ulster Special Constabulary were controversial, with the unit seen by some nationalists as more anti-Catholic and anti-nationalist than the RUC, which, unlike the B Specials, did attract some Catholic recruits. The severe pressure on the RUC and the perceived partiality of the B-Specials led, during the Northern Ireland riots of August 1969 , to the British Army being called in to support
Special Patrol Group (RUC) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3648-530: The 9th century, founded an estate at Carrick, on the Portadown– Gilford road. The land had been bought by Colonel Valentine Blacker from Sir Anthony Cope of Loughgall . It became known as Carrickblacker, and is now the site of Portadown Golf Club. One of the notables in the Blacker family, Colonel William Blacker , High Sheriff of Armagh, took part in the " Battle of the Diamond " and was a founding member of
3762-464: The Catholic part of town. Each July from 1995 to 2000, the dispute drew worldwide attention as it sparked protests and violence throughout Northern Ireland, prompted a massive police / British Army operation, and threatened to derail the peace process . The Army sealed-off the Catholic part of Portadown with large steel, concrete and barbed-wire barricades and the situation was likened to a "war zone" and
3876-704: The IRA launched its Sabotage Campaign in England, which would end a few days before the outbreak of the Second World War . The war brought additional responsibilities for the police: the security of the land border with the Republic of Ireland , which remained neutral during the war, was one important consideration; smuggling greatly increased due to rationing , to the point where police virtually became revenue officers; and many wartime regulations had to be enforced, including " black-out " requirements on house and vehicle lights,
3990-743: The Irish Port a' Dúnáin (or, more formally, Port an Dúnáin ), meaning the port or landing place of the small fort. This was likely a fort of the McCanns. From 1594 until 1603, the O'Neills and an alliance of other clans fought in the Nine Years' War against the Tudor conquest of Ireland . This ended in defeat for the Irish clans, and much of their land was seized and redistributed by the Crown . In 1608, King James VI and I began
4104-699: The Loughhall Road, and Knocknamuckley Church of Ireland (St. Matthias) on the Bleary Road are also extant parishes. There are two Presbyterian churches, First Portadown (aka Edenderry) Presbyterian Church (1822) and Armagh Road Presbyterian Church (1859). The Rev Stafford Carson was Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, June 2009 to June 2010. There are Baptist meeting halls on Thomas Street and Killicomaine Road; an Elim church on Clonavon Avenue;
4218-577: The Northern Ireland government was set up, who had already been given uniforms and training. The RUC's senior officer, the Inspector General, was appointed by the Governor of Northern Ireland and was responsible to the Minister of Home Affairs in the Northern Ireland government for the maintenance of law and order. The polarised political climate in Northern Ireland resulted in violence from both sides of
4332-591: The Order, thirty-nine RUC officers are listed on the Order's Roll of Honour (of 'Orangemen' killed in the conflict). The size of the RUC was increased on several occasions. At its height, there were 8,500 regular police officers supported by about 5,000 full-time and part-time reserve officers, making it the second largest force in the United Kingdom after the Metropolitan Police in London. The direction and control of
4446-491: The RUC Traffic Branch was formed on 1 January 1930. In 1936 the police depot at Enniskillen was formally opened and an £800,000 scheme to create a network of 196 police barracks throughout Northern Ireland by rationalizing or repairing the 224 premises inherited from the RIC was underway. In May 1937 a new white glass lamp with the RUC crest went up for the first time to replace the RIC crest still on many stations. About
4560-483: The RUC has been charged or convicted of any criminal acts as a result of these inquiries. O'Loan stated in her conclusions that there was no reason to believe the findings of the investigation were isolated incidents. Under section 60 of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 , Northern Ireland was placed under the jurisdiction of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). On 31 January 1921, Richard Dawson Bates ,
4674-566: The RUC was awarded the George Cross for bravery, a rare honour which had been awarded collectively only once before, to the island nation of Malta . The Award stated: For the past 30 years, the Royal Ulster Constabulary has been the bulwark against, and the main target of, a sustained and brutal terrorism campaign. The Force has suffered heavily in protecting both sides of the community from danger – 302 officers have been killed in
Special Patrol Group (RUC) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4788-573: The RUC was awarded the George Cross for bravery. The RUC was superseded by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in 2001, as mandated by the final version of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 . Allegations regarding collusion prompted several inquiries, the most recent of which was authored by Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan in 2007. The report identified police, CID and Special Branch collusion with loyalist terrorists, but no member of
4902-560: The RUC was in the hands in the Chief Constable, who was assisted by two Deputy Chief Constables and nine Assistant Chief Constables. For operational purposes, Northern Ireland was divided into twelve Divisions and thirty-nine Sub-Divisions. RUC ranks, duties, conditions of service and pay were generally in line with those of police forces in Great Britain. Policing Northern Ireland 's divided society proved to be difficult, as each of
5016-468: The RUC. Seamus Mallon , Social Democratic and Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) and critic of the force, who later served as Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland , stated that the RUC was "97% Protestant and 100% unionist" . The RUC did attract some Roman Catholics , mostly former members of the RIC, who came north from the Irish Free State after the bitterness of the fighting during
5130-473: The RUC. In April 1923 he spoke at its first reunion. In 1924 John William Nixon , a District Inspector suspected of involvement in the murder of Catholic civilians, would be dismissed after widespread complaints that he had made a "fiercely Unionist" speech at an Orange Order function. An inquiry by the British National Council for Civil Liberties in 1936 concluded that: [I]t is difficult to escape
5244-550: The RUC. This led to accusations of a shoot-to-kill policy by the RUC. In September 1983, four officers were charged with murder in connection with the deaths. Although all were subsequently found not guilty, the British government set up the Stalker Inquiry to investigate further. In May 1986, Sir John Hermon , then Chief Constable , publicly accused unionist politicians of "consorting with paramilitary elements" . Anger over
5358-476: The River Bann shortly thereafter. During the Irish Rebellion of 1641 , Obins Castle was captured by a force of dispossessed Irish led by the McCanns, Magennises and O'Neills. In November 1641, Irish rebels—likely under the command of Toole McCann—killed about 100 captured British settlers by forcing them off the Bann bridge and shooting those who swam ashore. This became known as the " Portadown massacre " and
5472-492: The River Bann was diverted by some 100 yards to straighten a meander . The old riverbed was then built upon. An archaeological dig in the area of the old riverbed uncovered the bones of some of those drowned in the 1641 massacre . Like the rest of Ireland, the Portadown area has long been divided into townlands , whose names mostly come from the Irish language . Portadown sprang up along a road (High Street/Market Street) that marked
5586-490: The Royal Ulster Constabulary and who have accepted the danger and stress this has brought to them and to their families. The chief officer of the Royal Irish Constabulary was its Inspector-General (the last of whom, Sir Thomas J. Smith served from 11 March 1920 until partition in 1922). Between 1922 and 1969 the position of Inspector-General of the RUC was held by five officers, the last being Sir Arthur Young, who
5700-601: The United Kingdom . The boundaries of the Assembly constituency and Parliament constituency are identical. This has long been a safe unionist seat. Portadown came under the governance of Portadown Borough Council following the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 . This was abolished with the Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 and the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 . Henceforth,
5814-443: The arrest of striking workers, port security, and restrictions on the movement of vehicles and use of petrol. The RUC was a "reserved occupation", i.e. the police force was deemed essential to the domestic war effort and its members were forbidden to leave to join the other services. The wartime situation gave a new urgency to discussions regarding the appointment of women police. The Ministry of Home Affairs finally gave approval to
SECTION 50
#17330858353235928-432: The beginning the RUC had a dual role, unique among British police forces, of providing a normal law enforcement service while enforcing the new Northern Ireland entity in the face of considerable opposition, both armed and unarmed. To this end, its members were armed, as the RIC had been. The RUC was limited by statute to a 3,000-strong force. Initially, a third of positions within the force were reserved for Catholics ,
6042-424: The boundary between two of these – Tavanagh and Corcrain. Over time, the surrounding townlands have been built upon and they have given their names to many roads and housing estates. The following is a list of townlands within Portadown's urban area, alongside their likely etymologies : West bank of the River Bann (parish of Drumcree): East bank of the River Bann (parish of Seagoe ): The climate of Portadown
6156-591: The civil administration under Operation Banner . Catholics largely turned away from the British Army, who they saw as treating Protestants differently, especially after the Falls Curfew . The high level of civil unrest led to an exhaustive inquiry into the disturbances in Northern Ireland carried out by Lord Scarman , which produced a report in 1972. James Callaghan , Home Secretary in 1969, called on Brigadier John Hunt (Lord Hunt) to assess, advise and report on
6270-609: The conclusion that the attitude of the government renders the police chary of interference with the activities of the Orange Order and its sympathisers. On 4 April 1922, the RIC was disbanded. Three days later, the Civil Authorities (Special Powers) Act (Northern Ireland) 1922 came into force, and the Belfast government, although prohibited from raising or controlling a military force, appointed Major General Frederick Solly-Flood as
6384-404: The crime detection rate higher. The 1920s and 1930s were years of economic austerity . Many of Northern Ireland's traditional industries, notably linen and shipbuilding, were in recession , which contributed to the already high level of unemployment. Serious rioting broke out in 1932 in Belfast in protest at inadequate relief for the unemployed. In response to the growth of motorised transport,
6498-475: The crown, harp, and shamrock, an attempt at representation of the major ideologies. The Special Patrol Group was formed in the late 1960s as the Police Reserve Force. The name was changed to avoid confusion with the newly formed part-time Police Reserve in 1970, and was renamed " Divisional Mobile Support Unit " in 1980 after two of its members were convicted of kidnap and murder. The two, John Weir and Billy McCaughey , implicated some of their colleagues in
6612-425: The dead were killed during the Troubles (1969 to 1998), of whom 277 were killed in attacks by Irish republicans . According to the CAIN project at the University of Ulster , however, 301 RUC officers and 18 former or retired RUC officers were killed, totaling 319 fatalities. The Newry mortar attack by the Provisional IRA on an RUC station in 1985, which killed nine officers (including two Catholics), resulted in
6726-455: The district of Clancann ( Clann Chana ), which was part of the larger territory of Oneilland ( Uí Nialláin ). This district was named after the dominant local clan —the McCanns ( Mac Cana ) —who had been in the area since before the 13th century. The McCanns were then a vassal sept of the O'Neills ( Uí Néill ). On the eastern banks of the River Bann was the district of Clanbrasil ( Clann Bhreasail ). The town's name comes from
6840-422: The enrolment of women as members of the RUC on 16 April 1943, with the first six recruits starting on 15 November, headed by Marion Paterson Macmillan , who transferred from the Metropolitan Police . Post-war policies brought about a gradual improvement in the lot of the RUC, interrupted only by a return to hostilities by the IRA border campaign from 1957 to 1962, in which seven RUC officers were killed. The force
6954-400: The establishment of the Great Northern Railway the overland trading routes were extended and delivery times shortened. The town's first railway station opened in 1842. At Portadown railway station the line went in four directions – one went northeast toward Belfast, one northwest toward Dungannon , one southwest to Armagh and one southeast toward Newry and onward to Dublin . Today only
SECTION 60
#17330858353237068-428: The estate. This family's legacy to the town includes street names such as Montagu Street, Millicent Crescent and Mandeville Street, as well as buildings such as the Fergus Hall (formerly the Duke's School and Church Street PS), and the Carleton Home (the Duke's former townhouse, latterly a maternity hospital/nurses accommodation and now private apartments). The Blacker family, descended from Danes who entered Ireland in
7182-443: The first Minister of Home Affairs for Northern Ireland , appointed a committee of inquiry on police organisation in the region. It was asked to advise on any alterations to the existing police necessary for the formation of a new force (i.e. recruitment and conditions of service, composition, strength and cost). An interim report was published on 28 March 1922, the first official report of the new Parliament of Northern Ireland , and
7296-455: The force abandoned this policy. As a result, representation of Catholics in the RUC never exceeded 20%. In addition, many Catholics who joined the force, particularly during the Troubles, were targeted for murder or ostracised by their own community. By the 1960s, representation of Catholics in the RUC had fallen to 12%. The RUC were supported by the Ulster Special Constabulary , a volunteer body of part-time auxiliary police established before
7410-413: The force had around 8,500 officers, with a further 4,500 who were members of the RUC Reserve. The RUC policed Northern Ireland from the aftermath of the Irish War of Independence until after the turn of the 21st century and played a major role in the Troubles between the 1960s and the 1990s. Due to the threat from the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), who saw the RUC as enforcing British rule,
7524-589: The force was heavily armed and militarised . Officers routinely carried submachine guns and assault rifles , travelled in armoured vehicles, and were based in heavily fortified police stations. It was the first police force to use rubber and plastic bullets for riot control. The RUC's membership was overwhelmingly Protestant , leading to accusations by sections of the Catholic and Irish nationalist minority of one-sided policing and sectarianism . Officers were also accused of police brutality as well as collusion with loyalist paramilitaries. Conversely, it
7638-518: The formation of Bronze section led directly to the creation of "E" Department within Special Branch the best known of which is the E4A department which dealt with humint and E4B which specialised in intelligence led operations etc. Following the return of primacy to the police the Special Support Unit (SSU) which was trained by the SAS was formed to perform an anti terrorist role.like its army counterpart before it, it did not enjoy any notable success at first however, their activity and infiltration of
7752-416: The high 20s °C (80–85 °F), more so than similar temperatures in hotter climates in the rest of Europe. It also receives a steady amount of rainfall throughout the year. For census purposes, Portadown is not treated as a separate entity by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Instead, it is combined with Craigavon, Lurgan and Bleary to form the "Craigavon Urban Area". However,
7866-441: The highest number of deaths inflicted on the RUC in one incident. The two highest-ranking RUC officers to be killed during "the Troubles" were Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Robert Buchanan , who were ambushed by the Provisional IRA South Armagh Brigade outside Jonesborough, County Armagh, on 20 March 1989. On 4 December 2013, in a report by judge Peter Smithwick in the Smithwick Tribunal (a public inquiry), it
7980-432: The introduction of the Metropolitan Special Patrol Group and to avoid confusion between the Reserve Force and the newly formed RUC Reserve. Each SPG section had 31 members, and was assigned a number and a colour - No.2 Section, based at Tennent Street, off the Shankill Road, Belfast, for example, was designated 'White section'. The Special Patrol Group were the first officers trained in special weapons and tactics, and in
8094-401: The killings in which collusion was alleged; that of Brian Adam Lambert in 1987 and of Pat Finucane in 1989. Stevens used the following criteria as a definition of collusion while conducting his investigation: On 12 December 2012 the British Prime minister David Cameron admitted a statement to the House of Commons that "shocking levels of collusion occurred in the murder of Finucane." In
8208-511: The killings to weapons carried by RUC officers. The Barron report found that a group of loyalist paramilitaries, RUC officers, and British military personnel operating out of a farm in Glenanne was responsible for up to 31 killings. This group become known as the Glenanne gang . The SPG was temporarily restricted from patrolling republican areas such as Crossmaglen and Silverbridge . However, some of
8322-404: The line of duty and thousands more injured, many seriously. Many officers have been ostracised by their own community and others have been forced to leave their homes in the face of threats to them and their families. As Northern Ireland reaches a turning point in its political development this award is made to recognise the collective courage and dedication to duty of all of those who have served in
8436-511: The main religious blocs (Protestant and Roman Catholic) had different attitudes towards the institutions of the state. To most Ulster Protestants , the state had full legitimacy, as did its institutions, its parliament, its police force and the Crown. Many of Northern Ireland's Catholics, along with their political leaders, believed that partition would only be temporary. Many abstained from and/or refused to take part Northern Ireland's institutions for
8550-696: The main roles of preventing outbreaks of public order and an anti-terrorist role. The SPG in London was disbanded in January 1987 and the same fate befell the RUC Special Patrol Group. They were replaced by Divisional Mobile Support Units operating under local divisional control. Within the SPG another unit was formed and given the name "Bronze section". Apparently modelled on the Mobile Reaction Force created by Brigadier (later general) Frank Kitson . While
8664-619: The middle of what is now a large graveyard. A second Catholic church, Saint Patrick's, was built on William Street in 1835. In the 1980s Saint John's was taken down brick-by-brick, moved and rebuilt at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra , County Down . A new Saint John's church was built close to where the original stood; it sits where the Garvaghy Road meets the Dungannon Road and
8778-414: The other police forces in the UK. This meant the introduction of the British rank and promotion structure , the creation of 12 Police Divisions and 39 Sub-Divisions, the disbandment of the Ulster Special Constabulary, and the creation of a Police Authority designed to be representative of all segments of the community. Callaghan, later elected Prime Minister, asked Sir Arthur Young , Commissioner of
8892-474: The outskirts of the town; one at Selshion in the west and another at Annagh in the south. The Ballybay River flows into the town from the west before joining the River Bann. Most of the town is built on the western side of the River Bann , and owes much of its prosperity to the river. It was the construction of the Newry Canal (linking Carlingford Lough with Lough Neagh) in 1740, which enabled Portadown to become
9006-526: The parliament was prorogued . Northern Ireland subsequently came under direct rule from Westminster with its own Secretary of State , who had overall responsibility for security policy. From the mid-1970s onward, the British policy of Ulsterisation meant RUC officers taking a more prominent role in the conflict than previously, which increased their casualty rate. Starting in late 1982, a number of IRA and Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) men were shot dead by
9120-438: The police efforts were practically nullified. They were quite unable to rely on the restraint of one party while they dealt with the other. About ninety police officers were killed between 1920 and 1922 in what would become Northern Ireland (see The Troubles in Northern Ireland (1920–1922) ). The security forces were implicated in reprisal killings of Catholics but no convictions ever rendered. Most notable of these incidents were
9234-438: The police or the civil service. This mindset was referenced by David Trimble : Ulster Unionists, fearful of being isolated on the island, built a solid house, but it was a cold house for Catholics. And northern nationalists, although they had a roof over their heads, seemed to us as if they meant to burn the house down In August 1922, Dawson Bates gave the Orange Order special permission for an Orange Lodge to be formed in
9348-506: The policing situation. He was assisted in this task by Sir Robert Mark , who later became Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service , and Sir James Robertson, then- Chief Constable of Glasgow . The Hunt Report was published on 3 October 1969, and most of its recommendations were subsequently accepted and implemented. The aim was to completely reorganise the RUC, both modernizing the force and bringing it into line with
9462-451: The political and sectarian divide. The lawlessness that affected the region during the early 1920s, and the problems it caused for the RUC, are indicated in a police report drawn up by District Inspector R.R. Spears in February 1923. Referring to the situation in Belfast after July 1921 he stated: For twelve months after that, the city was in a state of turmoil. The IRA ( Irish Republican Army )
9576-550: The provisional IRA undermined their operations to such an extent that it would eventually lead to a ceasefire. Two SPG members, John Weir and Billy McCaughey were arrested in 1979 and confessed to paramilitary activities. In June 1980, they were convicted of the murder of Catholic chemist William Strathearn in April 1977. Weir accused his colleagues of participation in 11 killings. An independent inquiry in 2006 found that in 7 out of 8 cases, ballistics tests corroborated his claims, linking
9690-544: The remainder of the Special Patrol Group was renamed as the Divisional Mobile Support Unit (DMSU) which had already existed as to supplement the numbers in the SPG. The first SPG casualty was Const Robert Buckley from Portadown , married with two young daughters. Killed 26 February 1971 when gunmen opened fire from the cover of a rioting mob at Alliance Avenue, Belfast An SPG constable, Noel Davies,
9804-400: The restrictions were lifted after Weir and another RUC officer met Harold McCusker , the local Unionist MP and asked for them to be lifted. According to Toby Harnden, "the years when McCaughey and the RUC Special Patrol Group were at large represented the only period when loyalist paramilitaries made forays deep into South Armagh, a republican stronghold". The Armagh SPG was stood down and
9918-558: The same as that of the RIC – a dark green, as opposed to the dark blue worn by the other British police forces and the Garda Síochána . A new badge of the Red Hand of Ulster on a St George's Cross surrounded by a chain was designed but proved unpopular and was never uniformly adopted. Eventually the harp and crown insignia of the Order of St Patrick , as worn by the RIC, was adopted. From
10032-533: The same time the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Belfast was significantly expanded, with a detective head constable being appointed to head the CID force in each of the five Belfast police districts. There was sporadic IRA activity in the 1930s. In 1937, on the occasion of the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to the province, the IRA blew up a number of customs posts. In 1939
10146-456: The security forces, a republican paramilitary and a loyalist paramilitary. Irish republicans killed 18 people: nine members of the security forces, one loyalist paramilitary, seven Protestant civilians and one Catholic civilian. The security forces killed one Protestant civilian, and another loyalist was killed by his own bomb. In 1993 and 1998, the town centre was devastated by two large car bombs planted by republicans. The Troubles led to
10260-486: The standard Walther) and batons, each constable carried either a Sterling submachine gun , a Ruger Mini-14 carbine, or a 7.62 mm L1A1 SLR rifle. A few officers were issued with Lee-Enfield sniper-rifles with telescopic sights, converted to use 7.62 mm ammunition. The six-man teams were trained in special weapons and tactics (SWAT) techniques. The RUC SPG was based on the Metropolitan Police model with
10374-647: The street hitting, kicking and insulting them. Police officers in interrogation centres insult, trick and threaten youngsters and sometimes physically assault them. Children are locked up in adult detention centres and prisons in shameful conditions. Helsinki Watch heard dozens of stories from children, their parents, lawyers, youth workers and political leaders of children being stopped on the street and hit, kicked and abused again and again by police and soldiers. And seventeen-year-olds told Human Rights Watch Helsinki of severe beatings in detention during interrogations by police. The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) of 1998 produced
10488-553: The town becoming segregated – the northwestern part of the town became almost wholly populated by the Catholic/ Irish nationalist minority, while the rest of the town became almost wholly Protestant/ unionist . Portadown's 'Catholic district' is bordered by the railway line and by a security barrier (" peace wall ") along Corcrain Road. The Troubles also intensified the long-running Drumcree marching dispute , over Orange marches through
10602-536: The town had been under the jurisdiction of the larger Craigavon Borough Council . However, after local government reform the town is now part of one of Northern Ireland's largest councils, the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council . Councillors are elected to the council every four years by proportional representation . The councillors for the DEA are: Portadown sits on the boundary between two parishes. This boundary
10716-509: The traditional agronomy of the area. The Newry Canal, opened in 1742, linked Carlingford Lough and the Irish Sea with Lough Neagh. It joined the River Bann a couple of miles to the southeast of Portadown. The canal opened up waterborne trade and left Portadown ideally situated to take full advantage of the trading routes. However, the canal went into decline with the growth of the railway network and it closed to commercial traffic in 1936. With
10830-645: The use of personal protective equipment for use in public order which was being developed since the start of civil unrest in Northern Ireland in 1969. They were given upgraded weaponry and dispersed in units across the region. The uniformed sections carried out 24 hour anti-terrorist patrols in fibreglass-reinforced 'Makrolon' Land-Rovers, prior to the introduction of armour-plated Land-Rovers. The 'Makrolons' patrolled with open back doors, so that SPG officers could debus rapidly. In addition to Walther PP pistols (later replaced with .357 Magnum Ruger Speed-Six revolvers, which were reckoned to have more 'stopping power' than
10944-470: Was established by virtue of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 for the purpose of "marking the sacrifice and honouring the achievements of the Royal Ulster Constabulary". Portadown Portadown (from Irish Port an Dúnáin ' landing place of the little fort' pronounced [pɔɾˠt̪ˠ ə ˈd̪ˠuːnˠaːnʲ] ) is a town in County Armagh , Northern Ireland . The town sits on
11058-534: Was 22,899. Of this population: Immigrants make up about 8% of the town's population, many of whom come from Eastern Europe , Portugal and East Timor , as well as China and India . On the day of the last census (21 March 2021) the combined ethnic groups of these wards are: Portadown is part of the Upper Bann constituency for elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Parliament of
11172-651: Was Director of Public Safety and Director of Security in the military government of Allied-occupied Italy. Later, he had been seconded to the Federation of Malaya at the height of the Malayan Emergency (1952–53) and to the crown colony of Kenya during the Mau Mau rebellion (1954). The first deaths of the Troubles occurred in July 1969. Francis McCloskey, a 67-year-old Catholic civilian, had been found unconscious on 13 July near
11286-532: Was alleged that members of the Republic's police force (Garda Síochána) had colluded in the killing of the two policemen. The last RUC officer killed as a direct result of the conflict, Francis O'Reilly (a Catholic constable), died on 6 October 1998, a month after he had been injured in a Red Hand Defenders pipe-bomb attack in Portadown during the Drumcree conflict . On 1 July 1992, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued
11400-573: Was built in 1814, and replaced the many previous church foundations dating from circa the 7th century, which existed in the ancient cemetery of Seagoe some one hundred yards distant. It is linked to Seagoe Primary School, which is maintained by the Church, and one of the few remaining Anglican primary schools. The former Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church , Most Revd David Chillingworth was rector at Seagoe for 19 years. St Columba's Parish on
11514-515: Was built on the Carrickblacker estate towards the end of the war, possibly as an overflow for the nearby Elmfield Camp in Gilford, but was used as accommodation for Allied troops and no Axis pow's were ever imprisoned there. In 2005, a public air-raid shelter was uncovered during excavation works near the riverbank just outside the town centre. One of ten built by the council during World War II, it
11628-613: Was completed in 1977. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a church on the Brownstown Road. In addition the Jehovah's Witnesses have a Kingdom Hall , on the town outskirts in Kernan. A combination of road, canal and rail links, all converging on Portadown railway station , gave it the nickname "Hub of the North" and this created employment through mass industry as well as helping
11742-632: Was involved with the development of the Newry Canal . He was succeeded by Michael Obins in 1750. It was he who set up a linen market in Portadown in 1762 and this laid the foundations of Portadown's major industry. Michael Obins died in 1798 and left a son, Michael Eyre Obins, to succeed him. In 1814, Eyre Obins took holy orders and sold the estate to the Sparrow family of Tandragee . George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester (known as Viscount Mandeville) married Millicent Sparrow in 1822 and came into possession of
11856-514: Was not until the Victorian era and the arrival of the railway that it became a major town. It earned the nickname "hub of the North" due to it being a major railway junction; where the Great Northern Railway's line diverged for Belfast, Dublin , Armagh and Derry . In the 19th and 20th centuries Portadown was also a major centre for the production of textiles (mainly linen ). Portadown
11970-514: Was one of the worst atrocities of the rebellion. It fuelled revenge killings during the conflict that followed and was used to justify the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland . The Irish Confederate troops abandoned Obins Castle during the Cromwellian conquest, and Hamlet Obins (who had survived its capture) repossessed it in 1652. It was then passed to his son, Anthony Obins. In 1741, Anthony Obins
12084-413: Was praised as one of the most professional police forces in the world by British security forces. During the Troubles, 319 RUC officers were killed and almost 9,000 injured in paramilitary assassinations or attacks, mostly by the IRA, which made the RUC the most dangerous police force in the world in which to serve by 1983. In the same period, the RUC killed 55 people, 28 of whom were civilians. In 2000,
12198-524: Was published in September 1999. It recommended a wholesale reorganisation of policing, with the Royal Ulster Constabulary being replaced by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), and a drive to recruit Catholics and the adoption of a new crest and cap badge. The PSNI was introduced in November 2001. As part of the change, the police service dropped the word "Royal" from and adopted a new badge that included
12312-463: Was responsible for an enormous number of murders, bombings, shootings and incendiary fires. The work of the police against them was, however, greatly hampered by the fact that the rough element on the Protestant side entered thoroughly into the disturbances, met murder with murder and adopted in many respects the tactics of the rebel gunmen. In the endeavour to cope simultaneously with the warring factions
12426-511: Was seconded for a year from the City of London Police to implement the Hunt Report. Under Young, the title was changed to Chief Constable in line with the recommendations of the Hunt Report. Young and six others held the job until the RUC was incorporated to the PSNI. The final incumbent, Sir Ronnie Flanagan , became the first Chief Constable of the PSNI. The Royal Ulster Constabulary GC Foundation
12540-405: Was shot dead by loyalists on Belfast's Shankill Road during serious rioting in protest at the recommendations of the Hunt Report. Arbuckle was the first police fatality of the Troubles. In August 1970, two young constables, Donaldson and Millar, died when an abandoned car they were examining near the strongly republican town of Crossmaglen exploded. They became the first security forces victims of
12654-521: Was streamlined in the 1960s, a new headquarters was opened at Knock, Belfast and a number of rural barracks were closed. The civil rights protests during the 1960s, and the reaction to them, marked the beginning of the conflict that became known as " the Troubles ". The RUC found itself confronting marchers protesting against gerrymandering of local electoral wards and discrimination in local housing allocation. Many of these Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association protests were banned or truncated by
12768-601: Was subsequently accepted by the Northern Ireland Government. On 29 April 1922, King George V granted to the force the name Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). In May, the Parliament of Northern Ireland passed the Constabulary Act 1922, and the RUC officially came into existence on 1 June. The headquarters of the force was established at Atlantic Buildings, Waring Street, Belfast . The uniform remained essentially
12882-450: Was the first policeman killed by the INLA as he made to drive away a recovered stolen vehicle. [REDACTED] Category Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary ( RUC ) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) following the partition of Ireland . At its peak
12996-485: Was to make recommendations which arose from serious shortcomings he had identified in all three Inquiries. In his autobiography, Stevens was at pains to point out the high regard in which he held many RUC officers, including Detective Superintendent Maurice Neilly, who was killed in the 1994 Chinook air crash . The third Stevens Inquiry began in 1999, and referred to his previous reports when making his recommendations. Stevens' third inquiry focused in detail on only two of
#322677