SDLP suggest all-Ireland Criminal Assets Bureau

A delegation from the SDLP has held talks with the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell in Dublin.

The SDLP has called on the Government to give its backing to an all-Ireland version of the Criminal Assets Bureau.

Alban McGuinness of the SDLP has said an all-island body is necessary because of the growth in cross-border crime.

Mr McGuinness said: "There is a cross border element to all of this which needs to be tackled not just by the police services north and south but also by the two agencies that can act in a manner different to the police themselves because they are dealing with it as a civil matter."