Policing Reforms in Northern Ireland

Policing Reforms in Northern Ireland -- (House of Representatives - March 25, 2004)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, last week the Helsinki Commission, also known as the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, held a hearing on the issue of policing in Northern Ireland. I want to commend the commission for holding this hearing on this timely issue and to add my voice to a growing list of influential individuals who have called on the British Government to reform the police service of Northern Ireland.

Madam Speaker, 6 years ago this month, the people of Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and the Republic of Ireland entered into a peace agreement, commonly referred to as the Good Friday Agreement. This legendary accord set out a framework that would allow Northern Ireland to govern itself and provide for a rule of law that was responsible to all people in the north of Ireland. Unfortunately, 6 years later, much of the agreement has either been stalled, derailed, or simply never implemented.

Most notably, the one issue that the British Government has refused to address after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement is that of police reform. For a true and lasting peace to exist in Northern Ireland, reforming the police service is a must.

Madam Speaker, the Good Friday Agreement gave the people of Northern Ireland great hope that they would see a change in the way policing is handled. Soon after the agreement was signed, the British Government commissioned Christopher Patten to review the police service in Northern Ireland. The Patten Commission spent months researching past abuses by the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Eventually they recommended several reforms to policing in Northern Ireland, including the end of the "Special Branch" of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and also to begin a program that would recruit ethnic and religious minorities into the police service and create a process of civil review.

While the Patten Commission recommendations did not address all of the policing issues in Northern Ireland, they were a good starting point. Unfortunately, to date, Great Britain has not instituted any of these reforms.

Policing in Northern Ireland is not only an issue of fairness but also of basic human rights. Following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, the British Government dissolved the Royal Ulster Constabulary and replaced it officially with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, this new police service is the same old, same old, with a new fancy name. What we really find when we look below the surface of its new name is that the Police Service of Northern Ireland is no more representative or fair than the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland remains unrepresented of the communities it polices. There are presently over 9,000 members. However, as of October, 2003, only 11.6 percent are Catholic while nearly one-half of all residents of Northern Ireland call themselves Catholic.

And the Police Service has also refused to stop using plastic bullets. Patten recommended research into alternatives to these inhumane policing tools and the rapid withdrawal of their use, and the British Government also gave a commitment to replace plastic bullets by the end of 2003. But today plastic bullets continue to be used by the police service.

The people of Northern Ireland do not feel safe and rarely rely on their public police services. Citizens are not calling the Police Service of Northern Ireland when they need assistance. They are afraid that the police will violate their rights rather than protect them in their time of need.

Madam Speaker, I call on Prime Ministers Blair and Ahern to fully implement the Good Friday Agreement and immediately institute the Patten Commission's recommendations. For a lasting peace to survive in Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement must be given the chance to fully succeed.

Unfortunately, the peace process cannot move forward. A small faction of individuals in Northern Ireland, many who are adamantly opposed to the accords, are holding the future of the peace agreement hostage. They have been successful in influencing the British Government to put the agreement and the power-sharing government on hold and therefore putting the Good Friday Agreement and the fragile peace in a very dangerous position.

Most recently these opponents have convinced Britain not to seek the new Belfast Assembly, even though elections were held 4 months ago. These elections, which saw record turnouts, were finally held this past November. However, to date, Prime Minister Blair has refused to reinstitute the Belfast Assembly.

Madam Speaker, as one can easily observe, the peace in Northern Ireland is hanging by a thread. Prime Minister Blair and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern must bring all sides back to the table and reinstitute the Belfast Assembly.

Peace in Northern Ireland is finally within our grasp. The parties involved, which all signed those historic accords some 6 years ago, must now just live up to the agreement and allow the people of Northern Ireland to govern themselves freely and fairly.