Policing issue divides SDLP and SF

With an election only two months away, Sinn Fein and the SDLP have become imbroiled in heated exchanges over policing - with each claiming credit for amendments to policing legislation currently passing through Parliament.

Yesterday, the SDLP's Policing Spokesperson Alex Attwood said that the changes, which evolved out of the Weston Park negotiations in 2001, would be "another stride" to full implementation of the Patten recommendations.

He added: "Even if Sinn Fein jump now, they jump late... The SDLP on the Policing Board continue to keep getting policing right. Irish America virtually without exception said that the SDLP were right on policing. Sinn Fein should cut their losses and join the board."

Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly said the legislation is the "outworking of three years of hard work and negotiation by Sinn Fein".

"Alex Attwood's comments are not surprising given the fact that the SDLP told us before Weston Park that amending legislation was not possible - yet it was delivered," he said.

"And more recently they told us again that new legislation was not possible - yet again it has been delivered. Had the SDLP held its nerve and not settled for less than Patten then perhaps we would have achieved the new beginning to Policing by now."

Mr Kelly said that certain issues such as plastic bullets, the future of the Special Branch, and the devolving of policing powers to the assembly all needed to be resolved.

Government sources have said that proposed changes to the legislation, including that which could see former prisoners serve on district policing partnerships, would only be actioned in the event that so-called "acts of completion" are carried out by paramilitary groups.

(GMcG)