Check Against Delivery

 

Address by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald TD at the

Launch of

Policing in Northern Ireland, delivering the new beginning

by Professor Desmond Rea and Robin Masefield

Institute of International and European Affairs

3 March 2015

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure for me to be here with you this evening for the launch of “Policing in Northern Ireland, delivering the new beginning”.

We are all in this room very familiar with the historic achievement of peace in Northern Ireland with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998 and the subsequent political and social developments in Northern Ireland which makes it a very different place today than it was in 1998 and in the years before then.

A central element in the framework that underlies that new political departure in Northern Ireland was a new dispensation in policing. The Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland, better known to us as the Patten Commission, was established to carry out a fundamental review of policing in Northern Ireland. It began its work in June 1998 and following its examination of the very many and complex issues at hand, including a very extensive public consultation exercise, Chris Patten produced its report in September 1999.

I think it is fair to say that at the time responses to the Patten Report and its proposals, and to the subsequent legislation, from across the political spectrum in Northern Ireland were not entirely positive. That said, given the political context and given the scale and the nature of the changes that were proposed, a mixed response was hardly unexpected.

Among the critical policing issues in Northern Ireland that were identified in the proposals for reform were:

- the need to develop and promote community confidence in the police and community engagement with policing;

- the need for the composition of the police service to better reflect the make-up of the community that it serves;

- the need to uphold human rights, particularly in the challenging circumstances of civil unrest and terrorism, and

- the need for robust and independent mechanisms for holding a police service to account, while also providing the necessary support it requires.

In large measure these, and many other aspects of the reform, are not unique to Northern Ireland. To greater or lesser degrees, depending on circumstances, they characterise requirements for proper policing in any jurisdiction.

Also important, were the considerations of dealing with the legacy of the violence of the troubles in Northern Ireland. While much has been done in this regard, these considerations continue to be a concern and efforts to address them are now finding expression in the provisions of the Stormont House Agreement, established in December last year.

The Stormont House Agreement was a hard-won achievement and I pay tribute to all those who were involved in the process, not least the political parties in the Assembly who, with the support of the Governments, stuck at the task and had the courage to forge agreement.

The mechanisms to deal with the past are welcome elements of the overall Agreement and are now the subject of ongoing, intensive implementation work. For its part, the Irish Government will continue to play its part in giving effect to the Agreement and is fully committed to their delivery.

As we know, in November 2001 the Police Service of Northern Ireland became a reality.

And alongside the PSNI came a new supporting framework of accountability and oversight in the form of the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Police Ombudsman’s Office.

This was in no uncertain terms ‘a new beginning’. The intervening years have seen very significant political developments in Northern Ireland and, at the same time and closely linked to them, the steady and successful implementation of the policing reform process. The two authors of the book being launched this evening are very well-placed to elaborate on that.

It is deeply unfortunate that despite the very great progress made in Northern Ireland in recent years, there remains a small minority on this island who choose not to respect the democratic will nor to accept the course of history. These groups still pose a real and persistent security threat and, of course, the women and men of the police services, North and South, stand in the frontline against this threat.

They have our continued support and thanks for the work they do in that regard.

Combating terrorism remains a high priority for the Government and for the Garda Síochána. The Gardaí work hand-in-hand with the PSNI on a daily basis in countering this threat and in facing the many other common challenges that crime presents, North and South.

The words of a former Garda Commissioner bear repeating, who described the Garda – PSNI relationship by saying: “Our uniforms may be of a different colour but they are made from the same cloth.” The two police services on this island share a common goal of seeking to protect life and to ensure community safety for all communities on this island.

Those who seek to challenge that aim with violence will only increase the strong, shared resolve, North and South, to achieve it.

Of course, the reform of policing is as topical an agenda item here as anywhere else.

Since taking office as Minister for Justice and Equality in May last year, I have embarked on the Government’s far-reaching programme of justice reform, which includes as you will know, the establishment of a new independent policing authority.

I have published the Scheme of a Bill for the new authority and the drafting of the Bill is well underway and is a priority and I will introduce the legislation as quickly as possible.

The development of the proposals involved an extensive examination of the policing oversight arrangements in operation in other jurisdictions, including, of course, in Northern Ireland. While there were very particular circumstances surrounding policing in the North which led to the need for the establishment of the Policing Board, obviously we are grateful to be able to learn lessons from its operation.

This departure will bring about one of the most fundamental changes in governance arrangements for the Garda Síochána since its foundation.

Following an open process seeking expressions of interest, the Government nominated Josephine Feehily as the Chairperson-designate for the new independent Policing Authority. Josephine will be involved in the arrangements being made for the establishment of the new authority and I know that she has had and will continue to have close interaction with the Northern Ireland Policing Board in this regard.

The establishment of an independent authority is a complex proposition but it is a key part of a programme of reforms aimed both at ensuring continuing confidence in the work of An Garda Síochána and at supporting the women and men of the Garda in the work they do on our behalf every day.

The policing transition process in Northern Ireland hasn’t always been easy. I am sure Desmond and Robin can elaborate on that for you with the seasoned testimony of their personal experiences!

I pay tribute to them both for their work over many years in supporting, steering and, I am sure at times, steadying the course of policing reform in Northern Ireland.

Indeed, it is that personal investment that both of them have made that will make this book and the insights and lessons it offers in the reform of policing essential reading.

Thank you.