Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Earlier this month, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties wrote to GSOC.

Its correspondence included the following words: "In today’s globalised world we cannot ignore the international resonances of a police shooting of a black man." Ireland is not immune to the phenomenon of the over-policing of minority communities. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties observed that "the pain and anger in the black community in Ireland has been palpable since the killing of George Nkencho." The words of the ICCL only underlines the sensitivity, local, national, international, of the investigation into this killing. An organisation which initiates sensitive investigations in minority communities should have strong representation built into its structures for those communities. I question GSOC's suitability to conduct such investigations given such lack of strong representation.

Eyewitness statements were taken from the Nkencho family members today, four full weeks after the shooting. No doubt there are particular reasons for this delay but minority community representation within the structures of GSOC would have been able to make it very clear very early that such delays only serve to increase suspicion and doubt over GSOC's bona fides within that community.

I wish to state my opposition to the nomination of Mr. Hugh Hume, not on the basis on any personal aspersion or the need to be impartial and dispassionate but rather on the need to be seen to be impartial and dispassionate. The point is not that the RUC in which he served was a discredited police force believed by many, including Mr. John Stalker, to operate a policy of shoot to kill and cover up, nor is it that Mr. Hume presided over specialised armed units within the PSNI. The key point is that Mr. Hume served directly under Commissioner Harris in the PSNI from 2014 to 2017. He should not be placed in a position where he has to preside over an organisation tasked with deciding whether to launch a criminal investigation into Commissioner Harris's officers in this or any other case.

I conclude by reiterating two points, first that the investigation into the George Nkencho killing should be conducted not by GSOC but by an independent public inquiry which includes representation from both the community and the family, and second, I register my opposition to the nomination of Mr. Hume to the GSOC position.

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