A Cheann Comhairle,
The Good Friday Agreement was a key milestone in the process of seeking an
agreed and durable political solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.
It was instrumental in securing an end to the decades of bloody violence
that had visited untold grief on so many families North and South, and in
Britain.
The Good Friday Agreement was a comprehensive settlement addressing not
only the constitutional and political questions concerning the governance
of Northern Ireland, but covering also security, policing, human rights and
equality issues essential to underpinning the political settlement.
In the limited time available to me this evening, I will focus on the
strong progress that has been made in policing and criminal justice
co-operation, particularly in addressing the threat on this island from
terrorists and the organised crime gangs to which they are inextricably
linked – put simply, criminal terrorists.
There is positive and dynamic North-South co-operation at policy and
operational levels in combating crime. The challenges that crime presents
on this island are shared ones and joint working will continue to enhance
our efforts to improve community safety for all.
Police co-operation
Arising from the Good Friday Agreement and the recommendations of the
Patten Commission, a new dispensation in policing in Northern Ireland came
about with the establishment of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in
2001 and new policing accountability structures.
The two Governments signed an Agreement on Police Co-operation in 2002
which provides a framework for the implementation of certain of the Patten
recommendations on enhanced police co-operation aimed at improving the
level of cross-community confidence in policing in Northern Ireland.
This Agreement provides, among other things, for personnel exchanges
between the two police services which have been operating successfully
across a range of areas of police ranks and work, including training, human
resources, general operational policing and the specialist areas of
policing.
As part of the enhanced policing relationship, the two police services have
put in place and are operating a joint Cross Border Policing Strategy. The
purpose of the Strategy is to improve public safety throughout Ireland, and
to disrupt criminal activity and enhance the policing capability of both
police services on the island of Ireland.
I know that the Garda Commissioner is very committed to building on this
joint policing strategy and to maintaining and augmenting cross-border
co-operation across all aspects of policing and he has my full support in
doing that.
Criminal justice co-operation
I meet and maintain contact regularly, formally and informally, with the
Northern Ireland Minister of Justice, David Ford. As well as our formal
meetings, we frequently discuss matters of interest by phone as they arise.
We, and the officials in our Departments, have developed a close working
relationship which is of great benefit in addressing matters of mutual
concern and enhancing effective criminal justice co-operation.
Building on the Good Friday Agreement, the two Governments signed an
agreement on North-South co-operation in criminal justice matters in 2005
which was renewed in 2010, following the devolution of policing and justice
to the Northern Ireland Executive.
Under the framework of this Agreement I meet regularly with David Ford to
review and develop the initiatives and plans in place to achieve more
effective co-operation across the criminal justice spectrum. There are a
number of project groups which involve the criminal justice agencies North
and South and they are bringing forward initiatives in order to enhance
joint working. These project groups address issues related to probation,
youth justice, forensic science, sex offenders, victims and social
diversity. The aim is to improve the knowledge, capacity and responses of
the criminal justice systems in facing similar and shared challenges.
The brutal killing of Detective Garda Adrian Donohue underlines starkly the
need for co-operation on all cross-border aspects of crime. I want to pay
tribute to the co-operation which the Garda Síochána has received from
their colleagues in the PSNI in their ongoing investigation into this
tragic killing.
Security co-operation
Since 1998 very significant progress has been made in embedding peaceful,
democratic politics in Northern Ireland, and in ensuring that communities
all over this island can aspire to develop and progress. The will of the
overwhelming majority of the people of this island has very clearly held
sway in that respect.
That said, it is sadly the case that there remains a small number of
unrepresentative groups who cannot or will not leave the past behind and
whose only aspiration is to sow chaos and despair. These paramilitary
groups have, unfortunately, become known in some quarters as “dissidents”.
They could not be further from deserving the historical respectability that
this label might confer on them.
Let us be clear about it – these people are no more or less than criminal
terrorists. They have no respect for life or liberty; they only know the
law of the gun and the bomb, and they use them both to dishonour democracy.
They will happily crawl into bed with any criminal gang of drug dealers or
smugglers in order to fund their comfortable lifestyles and their acts of
thuggery and futile violence.
Despite the relatively small numbers involved, the threat these criminal
terrorists pose North and South is real and persistent. The fight against
the terrorist threat has always been and remains an absolute priority for
the Government and for the Garda Síochána. The Garda authorities continue
actively to disrupt, pursue and arrest those involved, and to make them
amenable to the courts for their crimes and terrorist activities.
The Gardaí co-operate seamlessly with their counterparts in Northern
Ireland in bearing down on these criminal terrorists. The Garda
Commissioner and the Chief Constable of the PSNI, who have responsibility
for operational policing co-operation, have repeatedly emphasised that this
close and high quality co-operation has been instrumental in disrupting
these groups, preventing attacks, combating criminality and saving lives.
I mentioned already that the Gardaí are committed to building on and
improving the current level of cross-border cooperation. Likewise, on the
political front, I will continue to work with Minister Ford and Secretary
of State Villiers to ensure an effective response to ensure an effective
response to terrorism and cross-border criminality.
The House will be aware that I have previously expressed my profound
concern at the possible withdrawal of the UK from a number of areas of EU
police and judicial cooperation from the end of 2014. I have made it clear
on a number of occasions that such a move would represent a very retrograde
step in the area of security cooperation.
There are a large number of areas of police and judicial cooperation which
could be negatively impacted by such a move. Some of the areas of
cooperation are critical to the effective countering of terrorism and cross
border criminality. The European Arrest Warrant is the most obvious
example. The EAW procedures have replaced in their entirety the previous
arrangements with the UK for extradition of fugitives from justice. If the
UK withdraws from the EAW there will be, as things stand, no legal basis
for extradition between our jurisdictions. This would, obviously, be a
most undesirable situation to allow to arise.
There are other areas of cooperation, such as mutual legal assistance,
which would also be adversely affected by any withdrawal by the UK from EU
police and judicial cooperation measures. It is, in my view, entirely
inconceivable that such areas of cooperation should cease. Who is likely
to benefit most from such a situation? It is clear that only the
terrorists and criminals will profit from the legal gap which would prevent
the Gardaí and the courts from facilitating the effective investigation of
offences or the bringing of people to justice in the
appropriate
jurisdiction.
While I have no desire to intervene in a political debate in another
jurisdiction, the House will appreciate that I would be failing in my duty
if I did not continue to make these points very strongly in any meetings
with my UK counterparts.
In conclusion, I want to say that I meet and maintain contact very
regularly with my Northern Ireland counterparts, David Ford and Theresa
Villiers, and I can state that we are firmly of one mind with regard to the
terrorist threat. We share a strong determination that all appropriate
measures within the law will be taken in order to bear down on these
criminal terrorists.
Fifteen years on from the Good Friday Agreement, our message to these
groups must be as loud and as clear as ever: “We, who chose peace,
democracy and a decent future for the people of this island, haven’t gone
away, you know.”
And we won’t go away. Terrorism will not win out in the face of our strong
resolve to stand by those who are victims of terror.
All the communities on this island, no matter what their background, their
beliefs or their aspirations, share a desire to be left to get on with
their lives in peace, free from the threat of terrorism. That is the
shared aim of all right-thinking people in Ireland. And those groups who
don’t like that fact should get off the stage. They belong to the past and
they should leave the future to the rest of us.