Video interview with Chris Patten, chairperson of the Patten Commission, by Jim Fitzpatrick for BBC Northern Ireland The Politics Show in September 2009. On 9 September 1999 the Patten Report was published containing 175 recommendations for the reform of policing in Northern Ireland including the renaming of the existing police force, the removal of most visible symbols of British identity and an equally proportionate recruitment policy for Catholics and Protestants. The Report received a mixed response from Northern Ireland’s main political parties, the DUP and UUP being critical of the proposals while the SDLP and Sinn Féin were more receptive to its recommendations. In this interview Patten reflects on the merits of the Report ten years later. The Politics Show is a weekly current affairs programme on BBC Northern Ireland.
Date of Release/Broadcast: 13 September 2009
Name of First Interviewee: Chris Patten
Role at time of Interview: Former chairperson of the Patten Commission
Interviewer: Jim Fitzpatrick
Purpose: News
Media: Audiovisual
Copyright:
Link: Watch the interview
Programme/Book/Article: BBC Northern Ireland The Politics Show
Time Period covered: 1999-2009
Key Individuals: Chris Patten, David Trimble, Peter Mandelson
Key Words: Patten Report, policing, PSNI, religion, justice