Patten report 'gutted'

Police reform is proving exceptionally controversial

The government has been severely rebuked over its reform proposals for the Northern Ireland's police force by one of the individuals who drew up the plans.

Professor Clifford Shearing, a member of the Patten Commission which put forward proposals for policing in the province, accused the government of "gutting" the report.

I believe the changes are right for policing in Northern Ireland

Peter Mandelson

He said the government's Police (Northern Ireland) Bill, currently working its way through parliament, bore no resemblance to the Patten proposals.

But his remarks have been dismissed by Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson, who says the government will proceed with the bill.

Bill returns to the Lords

Policing in Northern Ireland has once more taken centre stage in the peace process following Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble's call for a halt to the policing reforms until Northern Ireland is declared free from terrorism.

The bill does not fulfil the hopes and vision of the Belfast agreement

Professor Shearing

But a clear overhaul of existing policing arrangements is seen by the nationalist and republican community as a crucial plank of the peace process.

The controversial Police Bill has its third reading in the House of Lords on Wednesday.

Professor Shearing, director of criminology at the University of Toronto, subjected the bill to a line-by-line analysis and concluded that it bore little relation to the original recommendations.

'No new beginning'

"The Patten report has not been cherry-picked - it has been gutted," he said.

"The bill does not fulfil the hopes and vision of the Belfast agreement. Nor does it satisfy the very clear mandate set out in the commission's terms of reference.

"It is not a new beginning. It will not serve the people of Northern Ireland."

The reform of the current police force, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, is a particularly thorny issue with the unionists, who remain opposed to changing the force's name and badge - both changes recommended in Patten.

Professor Clifford said the bill as it stands will fail to "serve the many, many dedicated persons within the RUC who have been looking for a new vision for policing that will move and inspire them to police in partnership with the communities they serve".

Patten 'undermined'

He added: "The core elements of the Patten Commission's report have been undermined everywhere."

But speaking on Tuesday Mr Mandelson said: "I believe the changes are right for policing in Northern Ireland and that's why I intend to carry on with them.

"Obviously we have to be conscious of the fact that violence has not gone away in Northern Ireland and we will proceed with these changes in a way that is sensitive to that."

But Mr Trimble, who is also first minister of Northern Ireland, said Wednesday's third reading of the bill in the Lords would see UUP and Conservative peers attempt to amend it to put a moratorium on the reforms.

At the start of the week he referred to the discovery of a bomb over the weekend when he told party members: "Many of the Patten reforms were designed for policing in a peaceful environment"

"Clearly, the events of the weekend underline the reality that a significant terrorist threat remains.

"Therefore on this basis, Her Majesty's Government has a duty to retain the present RUC operational structures and resource allocation levels."