NI community justice schemes 'must involve police'

The British government today insisted all community justice schemes in Northern Ireland it approves will have to involve the police.

In a written statement to MPs, Northern Ireland Office Criminal Justice Minister David Hanson moved to allay fears that the Government could sanction schemes in republican areas which froze out the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

But Mr Hanson insisted: “There is absolutely no question of the government approving such schemes without the involvement of the PSNI.

“Any rumour to the contrary is completely without foundation. The government will not approve a two-tier system of justice.”

Northern Ireland’s Policing Board, unionists and the nationalist SDLP have all voiced concern that republicans, who have refused to endorse the PSNI, are hoping to turn restorative justice schemes into a quasi police force with stop and search powers.

The programmes, which operate in Belfast and Derry, bring the perpetrators of crime face to face with their victims in neighbourhoods to agree an appropriate penalty.

They are seen as a way of tackling the problem of paramilitaries shooting, beating or expelling people for anti-social behaviour.

In a hard-hitting statement two weeks ago, Policing Board chairman Sir Desmond Rea warned he and his colleagues would oppose any back door move by the government to approve unaccountable schemes with stop and search powers and which did not involve the police.

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain met the board in Belfast yesterday to address their concerns.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Judith Gillespie also insisted the schemes must involve the police and other criminal justice agencies.

She also told the UK government a fortnight ago that community restorative justice programmes must not become or be viewed as alternative police forces.

Supporters of the restorative justice including Sinn Féin have dismissed the claims as nonsense, insisting the programmes are properly scrutinised.

Sinn Féin justice spokesman Gerry Kelly yesterday claimed SDLP and Policing Board criticism of the schemes did not match the reality of how they had operated since 1999.

The North Belfast MLA said: “The SDLP and the Policing Board would be far better off supporting a community-based scheme which is working and has impacted positively in hundreds of cases, rather than attempting to prevent further policing and justice change in order to justify their own political view.”

Mr Hanson confirmed today the government would publish guidelines next month that would provide safeguards and conditions to the operation of local schemes.

Northern Ireland’s criminal justice review recommended a role for community-based justice schemes in dealing with some types of low-level crime, the minister recalled.

He continued: “But the recommendation also specified important safeguards and conditions which need to be in place before any progress can be made.

“Guidelines will therefore be required to set out exactly how these safeguards will be implemented.

“The guidelines will unambiguously specify the involvement of thepolice and other statutory criminal justice organisations in the operation of the community-based schemes.

“That is why the work on the guidelines is being taken forward by a group including representatives of the PSNI, the Public Prosecution Service, the Probation Board for Northern Ireland and the Youth Justice Agency as well as officials from my Department.

“We have been in contact with the community-based schemes about the guidelines and aim to complete the current round of discussions with them by around November 30, 2005.

“Following that I plan in December to circulate the guidelines to the main political parties in Northern Ireland as well as to the Policing Board and other key stakeholders for comment.

“I would expect this process to be completed in the New Year, when decisions will be taken on the way forward.”