£3m Stormont policing bill since Stone
More than £3m has been spent on policing at Stormont since an attack eight years ago by loyalist Michael Stone, an assembly spokesperson has said.
The former paramilitary broke into Parliament Buildings in November 2006 in an attempt to murder Sinn Féin leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, a court found.
Stone was imprisoned for 16 years for the Stormont attack after he was convicted of charges including attempted murder, possession of weapons and explosive devices.
Stone, who murdered three men at the funerals of three IRA members in 1998, threw a bag into the Great Hall during the struggle after managing to make it halfway through the revolving doors at the front of the assembly building before security staff pinned him down.
He had claimed his attack was a work of performance art and the axe, garrotte, imitation handgun, three knives and homemade bombs he was carrying were artistic props.
It came as politicians were considering restoring devolved powersharing to Northern Ireland.
The Assembly Commission reviews the security at Stormont and a spokesperson said following the incident, the deployment of Police Service of Northern Ireland officers was considered an essential part of the overall security arrangements.
“The Commission liaises with PSNI on an ongoing basis to ensure that policing levels are appropriate in meeting the assembly’s business requirements, and that value for money is achieved at all times,” they said.
The total amount paid to the PSNI since then was £3.1m, the assembly said.
In 2007/08, the first financial year after the attack, the cost was £85,274.
By the time the new regime was fully up and running it reached a peak of £522,960 last year.
Changes have been introduced to reduce the cost, the assembly was told earlier this year.
In November, SDLP MLA Pat Ramsey revealed that the PSNI charges the assembly on a monthly basis at national rates.
He said following discussions between the Commission and the PSNI a number of changes were proposed that should see a significant reduction in costs.
The changes, which came in effect at the start of November, should see the yearly cost reduced from £523,000 to £364,000.
DUP Assembly Commission member Peter Weir told UTV: “We’ve similar arrangements to what is there for the assemblies in Scotland and Wales but obviously the security threat is much greater here than it would be in those other jurisdictions.
“The Michael Stone incident came very much as a bolt out of the blue to everybody,” the North Down MLA added.
“I think it’s very important whenever you do have those situations that you react to that in a proper way, you follow proper security advice and put in place what needs to be put in place.”
