Robert Hamill, a Catholic man, died in 1997 after being attacked by a group of loyalists in the town center of Portadown, County Armagh. The incident sparked significant controversy in Northern Ireland, leading to accusations that the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers at the scene failed to intervene or actively colluded with the attackers to protect them.

Following years of public pressure, a formal inquiry was established to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack and the subsequent police response. The inquiry’s final report has officially cleared the police of the charge of collusion. While the report acknowledged that there were serious failings in the police investigation that followed the attack, it concluded that these failures did not stem from a deliberate plan to protect the perpetrators or a conspiratorial relationship between the officers and the loyalist group.

Critics of the police response have historically argued that the officers present stood by while the assault took place, suggesting a bias in how the RUC handled sectarian violence at the time. The inquiry's findings represent a significant moment in the long-running legal and social debate over the role of the police during the Troubles. While the report provides a definitive conclusion regarding the specific allegation of collusion, the broader discussion regarding police accountability and the handling of sectarian crimes in Northern Ireland remains a point of historical sensitivity.