Police collusion report condemned

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A group representing more than 3,000 retired police officers is publishing a damning critique of a Police Ombudsman's report into collusion.

It is the strongest criticism yet of Nuala O'Loan's report.

It found Special Branch had colluded with UVF members in north Belfast who killed up to 16 people.

The Retired Police Officers' Association, claims her report was riddled with basic errors of fact and judgement.

The body includes former Special Branch officers criticised by the ombudsman.

Members of the association spent the past two months writing their own paragraph by paragraph response to the document published by Mrs O'Loan.

In it, they accuse the ombudsman of misusing the word "collusion" in a way which had led to it being used as "a political catchphrase".

They said police officers who served their country were being vilified in the court of public opinion.

The association has sent a copy of its report to the secretary of state and is demanding a public apology from Mrs O'Loan for what it said were unfounded allegations.

The ombudsman's report is also expected to be discussed in a debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

The Police Ombudsman found UVF members in north Belfast committed murders and other serious crimes while working as informers for Special Branch.

She found that Special Branch officers had given the killers immunity.