Officials See North's Policing Accord As Signaling End to 'Troubles' Era

Northern Ireland's Troubles began with its police force front and center and in a very real sense may have ended with a grand compromise on the vexing question of where the ultimate control over policing should rest.

In many people's minds, Northern Ireland's Troubles began on Oct. 5, 1968, when civil rights demonstrators marching peacefully in Derry were beaten by baton-wielding police. Images of the attack were captured by television cameras and beamed into living rooms across Ireland and Britain.