Trimble accused of u-turn on Policing Bill

Sinn Féin and the SDLP have both criticised Unionist leader David Trimble over his calls for the British government to abandon plans to devolve powers for policing and justice to the power-sharing executive.

Speaking in Strabane last night, Mr Trimble said that in light of recent allegations of an IRA spy ring at Stormont to devolve such powers would be "disastrous".

The former first minister said that even in the context of "acts of completion" by republicans, there would still be insufficient confidence among unionists to sustain devolving justice.

He said: “We have vivid evidence that Sinn Féin are not committed to peaceful means. The police are still searching through 1000 computer discs and 19,000 stolen documents seized from Sinn Féin. Who knows what further evidence of criminality lies buried in those documents? In this context, bringing Sinn Féin unto the Police Board would cause more problems than it would solve.”

Mr Trimble added: “Republicans must realise that the immediate post-Agreement optimism cannot be easily rekindled.”

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness said Mr Trimble’s remarks were unfortunate and unhelpful.

“We need to recognise that we are playing for big stakes here. This is about the future prosperity of our country,” he said.

Meanwhile Mark Durkan, the SDLP leader, has accused Mr Trimble of being inconsistent on the Policing Bill, having previously declared his interest in having powers over justice and policing devolved to Stormont.

He added: “Instead of looking negatively at the obvious difficulties and sensitivities attached to the issue, we should recognise the incentive and the imperatives that would come with its serious discussion.”

(AMcE)