Politicians to hear concerns on restorative justice

A committee of MPs will hear directly from neighbourhood justice schemes in the North today why they want state funding despite concerns about how they operate.

Members of the House of Commons’ Northern Ireland Affairs Committee will hear evidence in Belfast from community restorative justice groups operating in loyalist and republican neighbourhoods on controversial British government proposals for state-funded schemes.

Nationalist and unionist parties in the North, with the exception of Sinn F-in, have expressed real concerns that the British government’s plans could be exploited by ex-paramilitaries and used to create a two-tier system of policing in the North.

Representatives from Northern Ireland Alternatives, which operates in a loyalist area, and Community Restorative Justice Ireland, which operates in a republican neighbourhood, will tell MPs how the programmes they run prevent people turning to paramilitaries to carry out so-called punishment attacks.

As the committee prepared for two days of evidence, nationalist SDLP deputy leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell warned Northern Ireland Office Minister David Hanson’s plans could leave some neighbourhoods exposed to the law of the jungle.

The South Belfast MP warned: “Although the new restorative justice protocols have some improvements, they still leave communities exposed.

“The danger of state-paid vigilantes under Sinn Féin’s control remains. That really would be ’political policing’. We owe it to nationalist communities to prevent that.”

Fifteen restorative justice schemes currently operate in republican areas and five in loyalist neighbourhoods.

They are designed to bring the perpetrators of low-level crime face-to-face with their victims to agree an appropriate punishment.

The schemes, of which Sinn Féin has been supportive, have operated until now with private financial backing.

In July, Mr Hanson revised his plans for state-funded schemes after the British government was originally accused of appeasing Sinn Féin by keeping police contact with restorative justice groups at an arms length.

Dr McDonnell expressed concern that in the revised protocols restorative justice groups are now only required to deal directly with the police in writing.

He insisted there must be face-to-face discussions.

The SDLP deputy leader also complained there was no proper complaints system, nor was there a requirement to ensure restorative justice groups were independent and impartial.

The committee will also hear evidence tomorrow from Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Hugh Orde.