Policing and criminal justice powers would devolve speedily to Northern Ireland if the IRA ceased to operate as an active paramilitary force, the Northern Secretary has told The Irish Times. Gerry Moriarty and Dan Keenan report
Mr Paul Murphy, in today's edition, moves beyond the policing legislation he published yesterday by opening up the prospect of Northern Ireland having a Department of Justice to administer policing and criminal justice.
His draft legislation honours commitments made by the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, to the SDLP at Weston Park last year that he would make the PSNI Chief Constable, Mr Hugh Orde, more accountable to the Policing Board and the Police Ombudsman.
Mr Murphy published additional conditional legislation that would allow former IRA and loyalist paramilitaries to serve on the District Policing Partnerships (DPPs) if they ceased paramilitary activity. These partnerships are currently being established and will provide a community input to local policing decisions.
While unionist politicians complained the proposals would give the IRA a powerful local influence on policing, Mr Murphy said this legislation would be enacted if it fulfilled the "act of completion".
Moreover, in The Irish Times today he writes that responsibility for policing and criminal justice would pass to the Assembly and Executive were the IRA to step away from paramilitarism. "If we can reach a stage where the long-awaited transition from paramilitary activity to democracy is brought to completion, then everything could fall into place without delay," he writes.
The SDLP and Sinn Féin reacted with caution yet positively. Mr Martin McGuinness said yesterday's draft proposals did not go far enough but added significantly: "It is eminently achievable in my view that we see the full and faithful implementation of the Patten recommendations."
Mr Mark Durkan said 12 of 14 areas of concern to the SDLP had been addressed, adding that misgivings about the powers of the Ombudsman and Policing Board "touch fundamentally on issues of accountability and openness".
Mr David Trimble voiced concerns about an enhanced role for the DPPs, saying some areas could become "a law unto themselves". However, the UUP leader added that in the event of acts of completion the additional clauses would be studied carefully.