Hunt Report

The Hunt Report, or the Report of the Advisory Committee on Police in Northern Ireland, was produced by a committee headed by Baron Hunt in 1969. An investigation was performed into the perceived bias in policing in Northern Ireland against Catholics and other unprofessional practices. The Hunt Report was published on 10th October 1969 and proposed removing the military function from the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the disbandment of the Ulster Special Constabulary(widely referred to as the B Specials), and their replacement of their military function to a new locally-recruited part time force, which became the Ulster Defense Regiment. Most of the main proposals of the Hunt Report were implemented, and the B-Specials were disbanded in March 1970. The reaction from some in the Unionist community was aggressive. Constable Victor Arbuckle was shot when the RUC attempted to disperse a crowd of Unionists that had gathered near the Catholic area of Unity Flats. Critics would later state that the UDR displayed problems of bias and a difficulty with maintaining a balance of Catholic/Protestant membership, similar to its forerunners.

Motivation, scope and recommendations

Civil Rights groups in Northern Ireland in the 1960s had campaigned for the repeal of the Special Powers Act and the disbandment of the B-Specials. On 26 August 1969 Hunt was appointed to:

Robert Mark was also a member of the committee. Hunt made 47 recommendations and 5 suggestions. These resulted in the reshaping of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the disbandment of the Ulster Special Constabulary, and the formation of the Ulster Defence Regiment.

References

Royal Ulster Constabulary
Ulster Defence Regiment
Government reports
1969 in Northern Ireland
1969 documents

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