Sinn Féin rejects British plans for NI policing future

Sinn Féin has rejected the British government's police reform package on the grounds that it falls short, in their estimation, of realising their community’s expectations of a representative police force.

In a document launched by the party’s national chairman Mitchel McLaughlin on Friday, Sinn Féin outlined, among others, 20 specific areas where his party felt were “unsatisfactory”.

Mr McLoughlin reaffirmed that Sinn Féin would not be taking their two seats on the Policing Board, despite pressure mounted by the SDLP, who signed up to the Board earlier in the week.

Noting the British government had acknowledged its Police Act had fallen short of the model of policing outlined in the Patten Report, the party declared: “The revised implementation plan does not nor could it compensate for the now acknowledged deficiencies in the Police Act.

“It is, therefore, our view that the implementation plan taken in conjunction with the Police Act does not provide the decisive new beginning to policing as promised in the Good Friday Agreement.

“Sinn Féin, therefore, will not endorse these proposals and will not be nominating to the Policing Board.”

Areas of contention for the party outlined on Friday include the oath - which does not compel all police officers to take the new human rights oath as recommended by Patten; the introduction and keeping of new plastic bullets used by current police forces; and the extent and size of the Special Branch – which the party describes as a “force within a force.”

To date, the SDLP remain the only pro-Agreement party to sign up to the policing Board and the new revised policing reforms. The Democratic Unionist Party have fell short of absolutely rejecting the document but have called upon Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) to unite in an effort to defeat the policing plan. The UUP are likely to make their decision known after party leader David Trimble comes back from holidays. (AMcE)