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Computer glitch leaves Ulster terrorists ‘invisible’ (Times On Line)
Police only realised it was Johnny “Mad Dog” Adair they had stopped after they googled his name
Hundreds of convicted terrorists from the Ulster Troubles are “virtually invisible” to police in the rest of Britain because of a computer glitch.
The Police National Computer is not linked to the criminal database in Northern Ireland, meaning that the criminal records of many serious figures from the province’s past, now living in England, Scotland and Wales, are not available to police officers Counter-terrorism sources say that in light of the upsurge in terrorist activity in Northern Ireland, including the Real IRA murders of two soldiers and the discovery of a series of unexploded bombs, there are mounting security concerns about the situation.
A report by Sir Ian Magee, a former civil servant, said that correcting the problem was an urgent issue that would cost £3 million to resolve.
The Times has learnt that police in northwest England recently stopped a man of whom they were suspicious but computer checks revealed no relevant information. The officers’ unease led them to carry out an internet search on the man’s name when they returned to their station. It was only then that they discovered they had stopped Johnny Adair, former commander of the notorious “C” company of the Ulster Freedom Fighters.
Adair, 46, nicknamed “Mad Dog”, has a conviction for directing terrorism in the 1990s and was exiled from Northern Ireland by his former loyalist colleagues after a violent feud. But none of that information was available to the officers who stopped him, because of the incompatibilities in police computer systems.
Although Sir Ian’s report was concerned largely with inadequate vetting of sex offenders and others who might apply to work with children or vulnerable people, counter-terrorism sources said there were mounting security concerns. One said: “The information is out there. Police officers on the front line need to know who they are dealing with — they shouldn’t have to find out later on Google.”
Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, agreed: “It is important for the welfare and safety of frontline officers that they have access to all relevant information. We will be speaking with the Home Office to ascertain if and why the systems are incompatible and what measures need to be taken to remedy that.”
Adair was a prominent loyalist paramilitary whose C company associates were responsible for a string of sectarian murders. He was jailed for 16 years in 1995 but freed in 1999 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. The following year he was back in jail after violent loyalist feuding.
He was released again in 2002 but returned to jail the following year on the orders of ministers who had received a briefing alleging his involvement in crime and terrorism. When next freed he joined his wife and supporters, who had fled to Bolton, Lancashire, after being driven out of Belfast by further feuding.
Adair was convicted of assaulting his wife in Bolton in 2005 and it was only the record of that offence and not his previous involvement in terrorism that was known to police when he was stopped recently.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) acknowledged the problems in sharing information with its counterparts in the rest of the UK. A spokesman said: “Due to differences in legislation and, initially, the development of separate computer systems, there is an element of incompatibility.
“As a result, there is no direct electronic integration between the NI Criminal Record database and PNC.”
The Home Office said: “It is important that we strengthen the connection between Northern Ireland and the Police National Computer and urgent work is under way to define the most effective and affordable technical solution.”