Clause 116 — Referral of case following investigation by service or civilian police
Orders of the Day
8:30 pm
Gerald Howarth (Shadow Minister, Defence; Aldershot, Conservative)
I think that there has been a slight misunderstanding. There is no dispute about the nature of the rules of engagement. Indeed, one of our proposals was to include them in the Bill, so that compliance with them would be sufficient protection against prosecution. There are certain issues in that regard, which I have raised with Mr. Touhig, but the serious question is whether people will be prosecuted. Concern that they might have exceeded the rules of engagement could damage them psychologically and affect their ability to be operationally effective; at worst, it could risk their losing their lives.