Justice Ministers address Cross Border Seminar on Partnership to enhance Public Protection (November 2010)
The second formal meeting of the cross-border criminal justice ministerial group, under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Co-operation on Criminal Justice Matters, was held in Dublin on 12th November 2010.
The Minister for Justice and Law Reform, Mr. Dermot Ahern T.D., met Northern Ireland Minister for Justice, Mr. David Ford MLA, to discuss North-South co-operation on a range of criminal justice matters. Among the areas on which the Ministers received reports were youth justice, the management of sex offenders, victim support and forensic science.
The Ministers were also updated on progress in implementing the 2010-2011 work programme under the Agreement.
Minister Ahern again stressed his determination to ensure the highest level of cross-border co-operation in the justice area: "I want to thank David for travelling to Dublin today. There is great co-operation taking place in the justice and policing areas and there will be no let-up in that. The close relationship enjoyed by the two police forces is well known, but we are also engaging across the full range of criminal justice issues. We continue to face the same challenges in both parts of the island and we will continue to work together in tackling them."
Justice Minister David Ford said: "Co-operation between criminal justice organisations on both sides of the border has never been better and both Dermot and I are determined to maximise the opportunities this provides to make our communities safer.
Progress is being made on implementing the work programme and there is good day-to-day co-operation across the criminal justice system. There is much that can be achieved by working collaboratively and it makes sense for us to co-operate and develop solutions to shared problems."
Both Ministers also addressed the inaugural Public Protection Advisory Group Seminar held to showcase the wide ranging co-operation happening between the Probation Services North and South. This work has been progressing under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Co-operation on Criminal Justice Matters.
Speaking at the Seminar, Minister Ahern said that he welcomed the opportunity to hear about "the excellent work going on between the two Probation Services from those most closely involved. Today's event has again demonstrated the value of bringing together the different parts of the criminal justice systems on our island and the importance of sharing best practice and exchanging information and policy ideas. There is clearly a lot of great co-operation on the ground in the probation area and I am committed to ensuring that this be supported and where possible, enhanced, for the benefit of all the people of Ireland."
David Ford said: "The seminar is an example of the type of co-operation between criminal justice agencies that delivers real benefits to people across the island of Ireland.
There is extensive co-operation between the two Probation Services. Practitioners and policy makers on both sides of the border have had the opportunity today to share experiences and examples of innovative interventions with offenders, with the shared aim of making our communities safer."
The seminar held today brings together representatives from police, prison, probation and government departments in Ireland North and South to consider what works in preventing offending and keeping communities safer. The event provides opportunities to share good practice and explore ways to increase awareness of new initiatives.
Speaking at the Seminar the Director of the Probation Service Michael Donnellan said "Crime knows no boundaries and co-operation across all agencies of our criminal justice systems is vital in our joint efforts to enhance public protection. Both probation services work in a collaborative way. I believe that it is essential that this close co-operation and sharing of information continues and is enhanced where possible. I am delighted to welcome to Dublin representatives from a range of agencies involved in public protection and I have no doubt everyone involved in this area of work will learn something from the event."
The Director of the Probation Board for Northern Ireland, Brian McCaughey reiterated the level of practical co-operation that is ongoing between the two probation services. He said "There has been tremendous change within criminal justice in Northern Ireland this year. Having a local Minister for Justice and Policing provides an important opportunity for criminal justice organisations in Northern Ireland to work together to reduce crime and consider the needs and wishes of victims. Just as important is all criminal justice organisations - both in Northern Ireland and in Ireland - coming together, to share information and experiences to prevent reoffending. This seminar provides an important opportunity for practitioners to consider how community service, restorative practices and work supervising high risk offenders has developed. It also provides an opportunity to look to the future and consider how we can continue to work effectively to make all our communities on the island safer."
12 November 2010
