The Hunt Report on Northern Ireland’s police (1969)

The Hunt Report, presented in October 1969, followed an inquiry into Northern Ireland’s police forces – the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the Ulster Special Constabulary (USC). The report made several recommendations, the most significant of which were that:

“1. The RUC should be relieved of all duties of a military nature as soon as possible and its contribution to the security of Northern Ireland from subversion should be limited to the gathering of intelligence, the protection of important persons and the enforcement of the relevant laws…

2. There should be a Police Authority for Northern Ireland, whose membership should reflect the proportions of different groups in the community…

3. The Police Authority should be responsible, subject to the authority of the Minister of Home Affairs, for the establishment and maintenance of an adequate and efficient police force…

4. The Police Authority should have a particular duty to keep itself informed as to the manner in which complaints against the police are dealt with.

8. The RUC should be subject to inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.

17. Certain weapons should be no longer part of the equipment of the RUC…

18. The effective strength of the force should be increased as a first priority.

19. The establishment of women police should be reviewed.

24. Armoured cars should cease to be part of the equipment of the RUC.

26. The practice of reserving a specific proportion of vacancies in the force for Roman Catholics should be discontinued.

27. Vigorous efforts should be made to increase the number of Roman Catholic entrants into the force.

47. A locally recruited part-time force, under the control of the GOC Northern Ireland, should be raised as soon as possible for such duties as may be laid upon it. The force, together with the police volunteer reserve, should replace the Ulster Special Constabulary.”