Lyttle: Welfare reform delays could impact on policing and justice

Alliance Policing Board Member, Chris Lyttle MLA, has warned about the potential consequences to policing and justice if the Executive does not address welfare reform and the financial consequences that would have on the Northern Ireland Budget.

Chris Lyttle MLA stated: “Everyone should be clear about the huge challenges of policing and providing justice in a divided society which is dealing with an ongoing terrorist threat.

“Our criminal justice system is already stretched, with extra pressures of policing parades and other problems on the streets. The Twaddell Camp protests alone have cost more than £10million over the past year. And with no comprehensive agreement on dealing with the past, the criminal justice system continues to carry all of the costs of unaddressed demands for truth and justice.

“The first duty of any government is to ensure the safety of its citizens and to ensure the fair provision of justice. The system in Northern Ireland is already stretched to the limit. As the Executive parties struggle to find a sustainable way forward on welfare reform and the public finances over the coming days, the safety of our community must be provided for.”

ENDS

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