ABSTRACT
While Anna Burns’ characters are caught between the state on one side and paramilitary control on the other, the complex relationships she describes between policing, communities and the conflict in Northern Ireland sits at the very heart of understanding the Troubles. This chapter sets the issue of policing within the context of the conflict and reflects upon its contested history in Northern Ireland, attempts at reform, its connections to the wider peace process, and the lingering presence of the past in current policing challenges. The organisation of police institutions and activities in Ireland is amongst the longest in the world. Sir Robert Peel, who became Chief Secretary of Ireland in 1812, founded the Constabulary of Ireland in 1836. It was to become the Royal Irish Constabulary in 1867 and acted as a precursor to the Metropolitan Police in London.
