Ulster Unionists join police reforms board

David Trimble’s Ulster Unionists ushered in a new era for policing in Northern Ireland yesterday by agreeing to nominate members to a board handling police reforms.

After a two and a half-hour meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid, Mr Trimble announced that the party would be appointing Assembly members Lord Kilclooney, Fred Cobain and James Leslie to the board.

In his statement issued after the discussions, the Upper Bann MP claimed Unionists had: ‘‘clearly made significant progress’’ in their negotiations with the Government in recent weeks.

’’We recognise that at this stage, taking our places on the board gives us the best opportunity to exercise the greatest influence over the future of policing in Northern Ireland.’’

Mr Trimble said among the guarantees Unionists had secured from the Northern Ireland Secretary was reassurance that the board would have a Unionist majority.

The Ulster Unionist leader had originally arrived at the meeting with his Democratic Unionist rival the Rev Ian Paisley whose party had been urging the UUP to withhold its nominations to the board in an attempt to secure

concessions on the policing plan which would make it more acceptable to Unionists.

Mr Paisley said nothing when he left the talks building ahead of Mr Trimble.

However in a document released after the UUP announced it was going to join the board, Mr Trimble claimed they had received a number of assurances from the Government on the resourcing of the new police service, on police manpower, on the future of the Full Time Reserve, on the appointments to the policing board, the Special Branch and a number of other issues.

The Northern Ireland Secretary, the UUP said, had recognised their concerns about the numbers of police officers and recognise the need to ensure manpower fully reflected the security situation and other demands on the police.

It was for this reason that they said the Chief Constable was intending to recruit more officers in the forthcoming year than was envisaged originally in the Patten Report.

Between 100 and 200 officers would also be freed up when security in the provinces courts is privatised.

The Government had also assured Unionists that the new provisions for 50/50 recruitment of Catholic and Protestant officers would be reviewed by Parliament every three years and was only a temporary measure.

The UUP had also been told that nothing would be done to the Full Time Police Reserve before a review of the current security situation.

Its fading out would be subject to the security threat and there were indications that the policy may be changed if circumstances were to change dramatically.

Dr Reid also confirmed that support services for the Special Branch would be maintained, with any reduction in Special Branch numbers requiring the agreement of the Chief Constable in light of the security situation.

Mr Trimble confirmed his party’s three nominations in a letter to Dr Reid and

vowed that their nominees would: ‘‘endeavour to provide effective policing for all the people of Northern Ireland.’’ But he added: ‘‘In seeking this, they will in no way be bound by your (Police Reform) Implementation Plan or the Patten Report.

’’We consider both the report and the plan to be a clear threat to good policing as well ad gratuitously offensive to all decent law abiding people who through the last 30 year steadfastly supported the fight against all forms of terrorism.’’

Earlier yesterday the nationalist Social Democratic and labour party announced it would be nominating Eddie McGrady, Alex Attwood, and Joe Byrne as its nominees.

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams declined the Governments offer of two seats on the board, claiming the police reforms did not go far enough.

The Ulster Unionist’s decision to join the board along with the SDLP was expected to put pressure on the Rev Ian Paisley’s party to follow suit.

The 19 member board, which will also involve nine independent Government appointed nominees, will handle some of the key decisions of the police reforms such as the flying of the Union Flag outside stations, the emblems of the police service and the future of plastic bullets.

Sources at the meeting between Dr Reid and both Unionist leaders said they believed the Reverend Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists would also nominate to the board.