RUC chief's Orange alert

The Chief Constable of the RUC does not want his men to join loyal orders in Northern Ireland. Ronnie Flanagan tells Channel 4's "Dispatches" programme tomorrow that he would prefer members not to be in the Orange Order or Apprentice Boy's. "They (RUC officers) should think very carefully ... whether membership of such organisations are actually compatible with people who view people's perception as to how they might perform their duty," he says. His comments came despite the RUC having its own Orange Lodge.

A Commons Select Committee and the Association of Chief Police Officers are currently looking into the issue.