Church leaders urge SF to back PSNI

Presbyterian Church leaders urged Sinn Féin today to publicly support the police in the North.

After an hour-and-a-half-long meeting at Stormont with Gerry Adams and other Sinn Féin leaders, the Presbyterian Church Moderator in Ireland David Clarke said they had also impressed on him the deep hurt which was still felt by victims of republican violence.

Dr Clarke said afterwards: “As a Church, we have recognised the progressive steps taken by all parties, including Sinn Féin, towards the return of a devolved administration,” .

“However, in our discussions today we re-emphasised the continued deep hurt still felt by many Presbyterians who have suffered as a result of the violence of the last 30 years.

“Today we particularly encouraged Sinn Féin to give their total support to policing. This not only reflects the view of the Presbyterian community at present but recognises a firmly-held conviction of the Church.”

Unionists and nationalists are beginning to focus on policing as the issue which could open the door to permanent devolved government in the province.

Last month at St Andrews in Scotland, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern outlined a process which could lead to power sharing next March.

With Northern Ireland’s politicians expecting the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Féin to indicate on Friday their nominees for First and Deputy First Minister next March, legislation is being rushed through the UK's parliament to bind the parties to the St Andrews devolution roadmap.

The path to devolution in the North remains as complicated as ever.

The Rev Ian Paisley’s DUP wants Sinn Féin to publicly declare support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the courts, and swear to uphold the rule of law.

The DUP insists that without such a move, it cannot form a power sharing government with Sinn Féin or contemplate the eventual transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont.

Sinn Féin is the only party in the Assembly to have withheld its support for the PSNI because it insists nationalists are not yet convinced police reforms go far enough and the days of political policing are over.

If the party is to change its policing policy, Mr Adams will have to call a special conference of Sinn Féin members.

Republican sources insist Mr Adams will not do that unless the DUP agrees to a date for the transfer of policing and justice powers and also to the type of government department which will handle them.

The Presbyterian Moderator was accompanied to today’s Sinn Féin meeting by the clerk of his church’s General Assembly Dr Donald Watts, the Rev Alan Boal, co-convener of the Presbyterian Church and Society Committee, the Rev Philip Wilson, the Rev Jim Gordon, the Rev Norman Hamilton and Miss Karen Jardine.

Mr Adams was joined by his party’s unionist outreach officer Martina Anderson, West Tyrone MP Pat Doherty, South Down and South Belfast Assembly members Caitriona Ruane and Alex Maskey, and Belfast councillor Tom Hartley.

The Presbyterian Church has been involved in a dialogue with Sinn Féin since 1999 and also engages other parties in the North.