Justice ministers meet in Belfast

Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern met new Northern Ireland justice minister David Ford in Stormont today to discuss the rising…

Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern met new Northern Ireland justice minister David Ford in Stormont today to discuss the rising threat of dissident republicans.

The security talks also included Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy and PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Ahern said the Garda and PSNI would continue to co-operate in tackling both the dissident threat and organised crime.

He said last Monday’s bomb car bomb attack at MI5 headquarters in Co Down – which was claimed by the Real IRA – would not divert the two governments.

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“Clearly there remain unrepresentative groups of individuals who remain wedded to violence, despite the lack of any support from the wider public,” he said. “They should know that none of us will be distracted - we will continue to move the political process forward for the good of all the people of Ireland.”

Mr Ford said he would work to continue cross-Border initiatives “to make Ireland, both North and South, a better and safer place”.

Mr Murphy said the Holywood attack was a reminder that dissidents still had the capacity to do harm.

"An attack on one member of one force is an attack on both forces," Mr Murphy said. "We are working together seamlessly on targeting the individuals, a small core of dangerous individuals.

"Both forces are focused on ensuring a small group of people who intend to do damage have no opportunity to do that."

The Ministers also discussed ongoing criminal justice co-operation projects in such areas as youth justice, victim support, public protection and the management of sex offenders.

“The remit we have is broad and there is much work to do,” Mr Ford said. “It is important to build upon the already well established co-operation, whether at a political level between two ministers or operationally between two police services.

Mr Ahern said the two governments would look to “harmonise legislation in order to ensure there are no loopholes which criminals can exploit”. He said such efforts are already underway in relation to notification requirements for sex offenders

A cross-Border organised crime conference will take place in October.