North Down Ulster Unionist MLA’s Leslie Cree, Policing Board Member and Alan McFarland, Member of the Assembly Executive and Review Committee have asked DUP MLA’s Alex Easton and Peter Weir to nail their colours to the mast – Are they with Peter Robinson or Jeffrey Donaldson on the issue of the Full Time Reserve?

 

Commenting on the “incoherent to-ing and fro-ing” between DUP leader Peter Robinson and his colleague Jeffrey Donaldson over the issue of the Full Time Reserve as a ‘deal breaker’ for policing and justice, the UUP MLA’s, said;

 

“During a BBC interview on Monday, Jeffrey Donaldson said that if the full time reserve was disbanded the devolution of policing and justice would not proceed because the DUP would not agree to it, that he said was one of the deal breakers. Then, leader of the DUP, Peter Robinson, completely contradicted that statement by declaring that the Reserve matter is ‘not a deal breaker’. Following which Jeffrey returned again to the airwaves to re-assert his position.

 

“Who then are the public to believe, Jeffrey or Peter?  What is the official DUP line on the issue – or does it just depend on which DUP representative you speak to? 

 

“Peter Robinson is right to consider the operational responsibility of the Chief Constable on the issue of the Reserve, but members of the public are going to be increasingly confused as to what the DUP stand for and it is not right for them to use this issue for political point scoring.

 

“Policing and Justice and those issues surrounding it are too important to get wrong and the contradictory messages from the DUP are doing nothing to help Unionist confidence – something they consistently comment on.

 

“For the DUP to use this issue as a political football does nothing to help those FTR officers caught up in the political debate. We need to recognise the difficulties facing them as this issue rages on in the media, and the impact it can have on their families.

 

“In the midst of all this we must remember and recognise the vital service these officers have given, and continue to give, on the front line.”