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| Blair 'to reassure over MI5 role' | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Tony Blair is to set out the distinct role of police and security services in Northern Ireland, in a written statement to the Commons on Wednesday. | |
| The move follows intensive negotiations between the government and Sinn Fein on policing over the Christmas period. | |
| It is believed the government hopes the statement will reassure nationalists about MI5's future role. | |
| Republican sources suggest the statement will end any suggestion of secondments between the police and MI5. | |
| It comes as senior Sinn Fein members were to meet on Tuesday to decide whether their national executive should reconsider a plan to hold a special conference this month on policing. | |
| Sorting out policing is critical to restoring devolution. | |
| Fresh powers | |
| Meanwhile, it emerged in the assembly on Monday that police in Northern Ireland are to be given fresh powers to seize documents and files in order to tackle serious crime. | |
| Detectives could seize material without any explicit reason to suspect crime. It is understood similar laws are not planned for Great Britain. | |
| Security minister Paul Goggins said searches would not be "willy-nilly". | Security minister Paul Goggins said searches would not be "willy-nilly". |
| SDLP MLA Alex Attwood said that at a time when other security measures are being relaxed, more stringent police powers should not be introduced. | SDLP MLA Alex Attwood said that at a time when other security measures are being relaxed, more stringent police powers should not be introduced. |
| "How can you on the one hand normalise Northern Ireland society and on the other hand give the police this enormous power?" he told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster. | "How can you on the one hand normalise Northern Ireland society and on the other hand give the police this enormous power?" he told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster. |
| "(Officers could) go into any building under a lawful search and seize any document, even if there is no suspicion of that document being relevant to crime." | "(Officers could) go into any building under a lawful search and seize any document, even if there is no suspicion of that document being relevant to crime." |
| The assembly's policing and justice committee debated the issue on Monday. | |
| Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain is to address members of the cross-party committee on Tuesday, where he will be questioned by assembly members on his proposals for a new justice department by March 2008. |