Unionists to step down from NI Police Board

Democratic Unionist MP Sammy Wilson and former Ulster Unionist environment minister Sam Foster are to quit the Northern Ireland…

Democratic Unionist MP Sammy Wilson and former Ulster Unionist environment minister Sam Foster are to quit the Northern Ireland Police Board when the Government appoints a new-look team next month.

Nationalist SDLP MP Eddie McGrady is also expected to stand down when the board is reconstituted on April 1st.

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain has written to the four largest parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly seeking nominations to the board, which holds PSNI to account.

Mr Wilson revealed today that he will not be among the names submitted by the DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, because he wants to concentrate on his Westminster duties.

READ MORE

Mr Wilson was one of three gains the DUP made in last year's general election at the expense of the Ulster Unionists.

It is believed Mr Wilson could be replaced by DUP Assembly member Arlene Foster.

Mr Foster has also decided not to seek re-nomination to the board, which will lose its independent vice chairman Denis Bradley.

Sinn Féin refused to take its seats on the current board because of the party's opposition to police reforms. Gerry Adams said two weeks ago that he doubted the party would be in a position to nominate this time as well.

Sinn Féin has insisted that a Bill going through Parliament committing the British Government to the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to a future government at Stormont will be crucial to any possible move to participate in policing bodies.

The party has also said there must be agreement on the type of departmental model to which policing and justice powers will be devolved.

Mr Wilson said he was proud of his time on the board."When the DUP decided to take its seat, some people said to us what are you doing?" the East Antrim MP said.

"But I think there have been a number of achievements. We have managed to ensure the full-time reserve remains intact, and we have started to chip away at the issue of 50-50 recruitment (quotas for Catholic and Protestant police officers).

"In the past few weeks the board has taken a strong line on the issue of community police officers, demanding that there should be proper vetting and that there should not be the deployment of people from housing estates patrolling their areas and I think we have also been strong on the issue of community restorative justice."

PA