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Justice & Policing

Accountability and change on the Policing Board, District Policing Partnerships and Community Safety Partnerships

Communities in the North want the rule of law and safer neighbourhoods. That's why the SDLP has been working for accountability and change on the Policing Board, District Policing Partnerships and Community Safety Partnerships.

And we are delivering the Patten Report on policing. Our achievements include:

Collusion exposed, because the SDLP insisted that the Office of the Police Ombudsman have the power to investigate the past;

Special Branch dismantled, its systems, standards and procedures;

Progress to a more representative service with Catholic levels in the regular police currently around one quarter, women accounting for over one third of appointees and unprecedented numbers from minority ethnic communities applying to join.

But our work is not done. In delivering better policing the SDLP will continue to get police officers out from behind their desks and onto the streets. The closure of police stations that don't contribute to policing will help. Through the Policing Board, we'll continue to work for a routinely unarmed police service with emergency support units.

The party strongly opposed the introduction of TASER, and will continue to campaign to ensure that only the highest standards of human rights and equality are touchstones of the police service in the North..

Without the devolution of justice and policing to the NI Executive, there cannot be full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement or Patten. MLAs cannot be members of a true legislative Assembly until they have responsibility for criminal law.

The SDLP believes that devolution can achieve more and perform better if justice and policing services join, share and engage with other key service providers and planners under devolved policy-making and budget planning.

We want devolution of justice sooner rather than later, but will not stand for dilution of any of the elements of the Good Friday Agreement to facilitate the transfer of justice powers to the Northern Executive on DUP terms. The SDLP will continue to campaign for this not to happen.

Read SDLP policy proposals on youth justice, "Making communities safer, Making society stronger: Achieving a more effective youth justice system"

Alban Maginness

Issue Spokesperson

Alban Maginness (MLA)

Email a.maginness@sdlp.ie Tel 028 9022 0520
View Alban's Profile

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