SDLP and Sinn Fein in MI5 row
Sinn Fein have said they will oppose SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie’s suggestion that MI5 should step aside in Northern Ireland and let the PSNI spearhead the intelligence gathering process.
The debate on how to tackle rising violence by dissident republicans has intensified after a weekend bomb attack in Lurgan, in which three children escaped serious injury.
Ms Ritchie says MI5 just isn’t fit for purpose in Northern Ireland.
“It is now very clear that MI5 is not up to the task of leading intelligence-gathering in the north. By sidelining or standing down their political wings the dissident gangs have cut the flow of human intelligence,” she says.
Ms Ritchie has also hit out at the MI5’s “deplorable lack of effectiveness”.
“There is no evidence that MI5 puts a high priority on the dissident threat beyond providing some signals and background intelligence, which may amount to nothing more than listening to gossip and monitoring a few dodgy websites,” she says.
“I believe that the public will be much happier if intelligence gathering lay with the PSNI, then they will be in a much freer position to give that information to the police service.”
“We want to encourage people to give information to the police to eradicate this form of terrorism and to ensure that all our people can live in peace and harmony”, she told UTV.
Sinn Fein spokesperson on policing issues Alex Maskey has said that his party would actively oppose her plan.
“When Margaret Ritchie calls for intelligence gathering to be located within the PSNI what she actually means is a return to the past,” he said.
“The practical outworking of what she is calling for is the embedding of MI5 into the PSNI.
“She is in effect calling for the malign influence of MI5 to be allowed to contaminate the new policing structures of the PSNI.
“We have of course been down this road before. It is what gave us the Special Branch as a force within a force, unaccountable and untouchable.”
Sinn Fein says information is being given to the police but Upper Bann MLA John O’Dowd has concerns the PSNI may not be acting on it effectively.
“I believe there is a flow of information from the community”, Mr O’Dowd told UTV.
“I am aware of information being passed over. I want to ensure that the PSNI are acting on it and that there is not a scenario happening in Lurgan where agents or someone working for the British security services is being protected.”
DUP MLA Nelson McCausland has accused Ms Ritchie of being opportunistic with her comments.
“Whether information comes through the police or whether it comes through MI5 I don’t care, as long as it is provided,” he said.
“There has been a long running campaign by the SDLP in relation to MI5 and I think this is just her taking the opportunity to make a party political point.”
Mr McCausland says he is concerned about how much information the dissidents are able to get their hands on.
“I am concerned that there are people providing information to them in various places, so that they are able to identify police or other folk they want to go after. That is alarming,” he told UTV.
Police said they would not comment on intelligence matters.
Last week, deputy first minister Martin McGuinness claimed dissident republicans were involved in secret talks with the British and Irish governments.
The Sinn Fein representative said he welcomed the discussions, insisting it was evidence that dissidents cannot achieve their aims through violence.
Following Saturday’s attack in Lurgan, PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott said that dialogue with the groups would not necessarily be “a betrayal”.
Any efforts to talk to dissidents would have to come with strong conditions attached, he said, but ending violence was more than just a security issue.
“We are arresting and charging more than ever,” he told Irish broadcaster RTÉ, where he described cross-border police co-operation as “top class”.
“But clearly there has never been a 100% intelligence picture.
“What we have to do is relentlessly pursue them.”
Both Governments have firmly denied Mr McGuinness’s claims.
