UPDATED 18.21

A UK CRIME-FIGHTING charity is offering a stg£50,000 reward to anyone who provides information which leads to the capture of PSNI officer Ronan Kerr’s killer or killers.

Crimestoppers UK (separate from the Garda Siochana initiative Crimestoppers) launched the offer today. The organisation’s website has today temporarily crashed under the heavy flow of visitors to it. However, the site earlier advertised that the reward would be made available to anyone who could provide “crucial” information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of those behind Saturday’s car bombing in Omagh.

Dave Cording, Deputy Chief Executive at Crimestoppers, said:

Crimestoppers takes all murders and manslaughters extremely seriously. In this incident a police officer who was willing to stand up and serve his community has had his life tragically cut short. This is a despicable crime, and for that reason a reward of up to £50,000 is being offered to anyone who can supply us with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this crime.

He added that no personal details are taken and communication routes are not traced or recorded. “Crimestoppers is not part of the police,” he said. “It is an independent charity. Every call is treated with absolute anonymity. The information given is passed onto the police in such a way that it does not identify the caller.”

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has been speaking of the atrocity in the Dail today. He said:

I regard this as an act of cowardice, which doesn’t do anything for anyone on this island… the vast majority of people on this island abhor what happened.

He warned against any potential hero worshipping of the killers. He said that the ”warped” interpretation that the perpetrator was “someone of stature is so false and so wrong”.

Kenny said that he had spoken with Ronan’s mother Nuala by telephone yesterday and that he was impressed by her dignity. He said he will meet with the Kerr family tomorrow to offer his sympathy in person.

He added:

Saturday’s attack was an attack on community policing. Its impact has been felt by  both police forces on this island. The Garda Commissioner put it so well when he said that while the gardai and PSNI wear different uniforms, they are woven together by what they do.

NOTE: The freephone number for Crimestoppers UK is 0800 555 111. However, that number doesn’t work when called from inside the Republic of Ireland so callers from outside the UK can ring 00 44 1883 731 335 – this is also a freephone number.