Sinn Féin could contaminate policing and justice if the party gets control over it in a devolved government, a hardline Democratic Unionist Party MEP said today.
As Assembly members discussed policing and justice powers being transferred from Westminster to a future power-sharing government, Northern Ireland MEP Jim Allister said the first anniversary of the dropping of spying charges against three people including British agent Denis Donaldson served as a reminder of why unionists should be concerned about Sinn Féin having any say.
Mr Allister was speaking as a new six-member sub group met at Stormont to try to break the deadlock over policing in Northern Ireland by the new year.
"Firstly, Stormontgate itself graphically illustrated the folly of admitting Sinn Féin to government without an enforceable mechanism to exclude only them upon default by them," he said.
"The St Andrews Act does not address this deficiency, which properly is a requirement of the DUP. Thus a workable legislative default mechanism remains a key outstanding issue.
"Secondly, it underscores the deep-seated concerns that any possibility of control over policing and justice by a party, such as Sinn Féin, would increase the prospect of this most vital of subjects being contaminated and corrupted by political tampering.
"Little wonder there is a prevailing determination that if devolution should occur, the transfer of policing and justice is impossible during the currency of this generation of highly tainted Sinn Féin politicians."
Mr Allister was commenting after his colleague Arlene Foster told Sinn Féin after today's meeting at Stormont it was up to them to deliver political progress by publicly declaring support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the courts and the rule of law.
The Democratic Unionist Party, Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP - the four parties who will make up a devolved government if power sharing is restored next March - took part in today's meeting.
The policing sub group of the Stormont Preparation for Government Committee will have until January 3rd to come up with proposals.
The sub-group was chaired by Sinn Féin's Francie Molloy, the Assembly's Deputy Speaker. Around the table sat Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly, the DUP's Arlene Foster and William Hay, the Ulster Unionist Party's Fred Cobain and the SDLP's Alex Attwood.
The sub-group met after it emerged Sinn Féin's policing spokesman Gerry Kelly had been warned two days ago by police of another death threat by dissident republicans.
Mr Kelly today insisted agreement on a date for the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont and on the type of government department were needed before any move from his party.
The North Belfast MLA said: "The DUP cannot demand of nationalists that policing and justice be supported and then say: however, you will have no influence over it.
"They cannot have it as their own private arena. Let us get the timing sorted out. You cannot move without the timing. It just simply cannot be done. You cannot talk about generations of doubt, you cannot talk about no control or no influence.
"If a police service and justice ministry is representative of all of the people of the North (of Ireland) and indeed only island, then that involves everybody."
The sub group is expected to spend the next four weeks trying to agree when justice and policing powers can be transferred to a future Stormont power-sharing executive.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has told the DUP and other parties that before he can hold a special ardfheis to consider changing its policing policy, he will need a date for the transfer of justice and policing powers from Westminster to Stormont, agreement on the type of department that will handle it and the exclusion of MI5 from any role in civic policing.