Sinn Féin look forward to British government statement on MI5
Responding to the confirmation that the British government are to issue a
new statement in relation to the role of MI5 here, Sinn Féin spokesperson on
Policing issues Gerry Kelly said:
"During the intense
negotiations over the Christmas period Sinn Féin made the issue of ending
MI5 involvement in civic policing a priority. We have been involved in
detailed work on this issue with the British government in recent weeks.
"The
proposals which the SDLP claimed to have negotiated at St. Andrews were
completely unacceptable. They would have embedded MI5 within the PSNI. This
would have generated the potential to create once again a force within a
force.
"The British government have now indicated that they are
to make a new statement regarding the role of MI5. This statement must put
in place mechanisms to ensure the complete separation of MI5 from civic
policing. There can be no integration of MI5 and the PSNI. All PSNI members
must be fully answerable to the Patten accountability mechanisms, hard won
in negotiations." ENDS