Adams denies nationalists deterred from police service

Nationalists and republicans are not being harassed or intimidated out of joining Northern Ireland’s new police service, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said today.

The West Belfast MP, speaking in his constituency, denied claims by the deputy chairman of the North’s Policing Board, Denis Bradley, that while no physical intimidation was taking place Sinn Fein tactics were designed to deter young nationalists from joining the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

‘‘There is no evidence of any intimidation,’’ Mr Adams said, adding that he had not heard Mr Bradley’s comments.

‘‘This becomes just one of those media red herrings.

‘‘There is no evidence. There is no intimidation.

‘‘We will campaign robustly and make our views very, very clear on this issue.

‘‘There are no nationalists - there may be post-nationalists - or republicans who are involved in this policing service.

‘‘The question of whether Catholics are involved or not is irrelevant. Catholics were always involved from the day of the Royal Irish Constabulary (before the partition of Ireland) to the RUC.

‘‘If they are involved in this one, then that is just a continuation of all of that.’’

Mr Adams said if the Policing Board deputy chairman was making an argument that republicans were harassing nationalists, then he needed to ensure that those allegations were substantiated and he had evidence to back that up.

Sinn Fein has boycotted the new policing structures in Northern Ireland because it claims the police reforms do not go far enough.

Its rivals in the nationalist SDLP have taken their seats on the Policing Board and the new police service has also been endorsed by the Northern Ireland Catholic Bishops and by some members of the GAA.

Mr Adams said today that there would still need to be changes to the police reforms before Sinn Fein would claim the two seats it was entitled to on the 19-member board and before it would endorse a new police service.

What was required was action on the question of greater police accountability, the use of plastic bullets and the symbols of a new service.

The Sinn Fein President also moved to dispel claims that Sinn Fein would eventually join the Policing Board by using the concessions won by others as a reason to go in.

‘‘We are prepared to go on the Policing Board but we are not prepared to go on to the board and end up whinging like Denis Bradley and complaining about not having the authority to do the job,’’ he retorted.

‘‘We will go on to the Policing Board when the Board has the authority to deal with the policing service and when there is a genuinely de-politicised policing service.

‘‘We don’t have that and that is why we continue to engage with the British Prime Minister particularly and with (Northern Ireland Secretary) John Reid and the Irish Government and others to try and bring that about.’’