SF and DUP clash on policing move

Gerry Adams said the DUP are being 'obstructive'

The Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has accused his DUP counterpart of breaching a commitment to "sell" a policing deal to unionists.

It is the latest in a series of bitter clashes between the parties over the devolution of policing and justice.

Last week the DUP leader Peter Robinson warned Sinn Fein that negotiations on devolving justice could come to a halt if republicans resort to "blackmail".

Both parties met the Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Saturday.

Sinn Fein would like to see policing and justice powers devolved as soon as possible.

However the DUP have linked the move to a series of concessions they say are necessary to build unionist confidence.

'Very unhelpful'

The Sinn Fein leader was speaking at an event in Canada, where he criticised the British government as well as the DUP.

He said the government was being "very unhelpful" and had a duty to fully implement the Good Friday Agreement, including the transfer of policing and justice powers from London.

He described the efforts of the DUP to tie other matters to the issue as "unacceptable."

"This is a stand alone issue. There is no linkage between it and any other issue," he continued.

"The DUP is in breach of the commitments it entered into at St. Andrews. It is also in breach of the commitment given by the DUP leader two months ago that if the financial package was secured he would go out and sell it to the community.

"The DUP's obstructive approach to making the institutions work efficiently is eroding public confidence."

In his comments last week Mr Robinson said the DUP will neither submit to blackmail nor negotiate in a climate of blackmail.