The SDLP last night accused republicans of softening their opposition to the north's policing arrangements after a Sinn Féin MP demanded that American legislation requiring cooperation with police be adopted as a "blueprint" in Northern Ireland.
Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP Michelle Gildernew this week said that the Clery Act should be the basis for legislation to provide Northern Ireland students with information to help them protect their safety on college campuses.
"The American Clery Act provides a useful blueprint to enable us to bring
forward local legislation," the Sinn
Féin MP said.
The Clery Act – named after a student who was raped and murdered in 1985 while at university in Pennsylvania – forces colleges and universities to provide students with statistics about crimes that have taken place on campus or nearby.
In America, details of any crimes – ranging from burglary and car theft to murder and sexual offences – that have taken place on or near a campus over a three-year period must be made available to students.
But the Clery Act also calls for students and colleges to cooperate closely with the police, prompting SDLP assembly member Patricia Lewsley to ask if Sinn Féin now recognised "there is a need to work with police".
"Michelle Gildernew called for the introduction here of an equivalent to the Clery Act in the United States," she said.
"It is interesting she believes the Clery Act should be enacted here to protect the student population.
"The legislation requires universities to cooperate actively with the police."
The Lagan Valley assembly member said it appeared that Sinn Féin "has now changed its position in relation to its policy on policing".
"Clearly Michelle Gildernew recognises there is a need to work with police on the ground to combat crime and protect communities," Ms Lewsley said.
"The SDLP will continue to drive forward the agenda on policing. We have been working to ensure that we have a police service that is accountable and representative of the community and that there are more police on the ground tackling crime."
But Ms Gildernew told the Irish News last night said she did not expect universities or students to support the police.
"I would not ask students to do anything I wouldn't be prepared to do myself by cooperating with the police," she said.
"I'm calling for universities to take care of their students' safety.
"We obviously couldn't just adopt the American legislation here, we would have to write our own," she added.
