By Michele Canning
AN OMAGH teenager has been approached by the PSNI to become an informer on illegal activity in the town, and he has the damning evidence to prove it.
The young man part-recorded on his mobile phone a conversation he had with a named Constable at Omagh PSNI station last Friday afternoon.
That recording was handed over to the UH by the 18-year-old, a member of Ogra Shinn Féin, shortly after he had left the station.
On the recording, a policeman is heard to ask the teenager to take part in 'an intelligence interview,' with the assurance that it is 'totally confidential'.
The officer continues, "What you tell me, as you can see written on the back here, you don't have to be brought into the equation or nothing."
The PSNI man proceeds to say it's about illegal activity in the young man's area, or the wider area, at which stage the teen is heard to say that he is not interested, and he's not a tout.
The teen was arrested on Boxing Night for disorderly behaviour, and released to attend the station on Friday past for interview, summons and court date.
He told the UH, "After interview, I was told to go and wait in the waiting area to have my fingerprints taken. The police officer taking the prints seemed deliberately very nice and over friendly."
He said there was a bit of banter by the officers over 'intelligence', at which stage he decided to tape the conversation.
It was then that the Constable is heard to refer to the 'intelligence interview'.
The 18-year-old told the UH that he is a member of Ogra Shinn Féin, is politically aware and thought that an approach was about to be made to him given the conversation that was developing.
"I told Constable (which he named) that I was not a tout and he asked me did I want him to write that down, before laughing it off. He told the other officer to write that down. Nothing was said after that."
After signing for his charges the young man left the station and went to the Sinn Féin offices.
Barry McColgan, of Ogra Shinn Féin, said, "This young man came into the office when Fr Joe McVeigh was present and he has undertaken to contact the Taoiseach and Sean Woodward and bring the issue up with them.
"We also intend to raise this with the DPP. As long as this behaviour continues then the community can have no confidence in the PSNI. We intend to pursue this as much as we can."
The teenager has made contact with this solicitor and intends to take the matter to the Police Ombudsman.
A police spokesman said, "We do not comment on specific intelligence matters and no inference should be drawn from this."
Omagh District Council Chairperson Martin McColgan voiced his concern at the PSNI tactics.
He said, "This kind of approach by the PSNI certainly raises a lot of concern. At a time when the PSNI should be putting resources into building public confidence through open and effective policing they are instead reverting to these sort of tactics which have in the past only led to distrust and lack of faith in policing especially in Nationalist communities.
"The fact that this young man is well known as a republican activist also raises questions as to why he was approached in this manner. I am pleased he had the presence of mind to record the incident and bring it to public attention.
"This is not the type of policing that people in the north want or are entitled to, this is a system which has been used previously and has failed. Such actions like this incident only serve to undermine public confidence and public support for policing.
"As a local councillor and member of Omagh DPP I will be seeking a meeting with the area commander at the next available opportunity to raise this issue," he added.
