Mr. Harry Maguire:

It is being productive because the police now engage with us on a two-way basis. When we first began doing it, it was like talking into the ether. There is now a two-way relationship which Ms Watters can confirm. Does it need to happen in the South? Absolutely. In the constituency of Mr. Murphy, we did a training project with local volunteers and practitioners. We also asked for the police and the Garda in Dundalk to supply a number of people. Unfortunately, the Garda either did not or could not see the value of it but the PSNI supplied a number of people for the project, which took place in Bessbrook. This was a groundbreaking project, particularly given the history of Mr. Murphy's constituency. It was very productive for the participants and an eye-opener for some of them. There are lessons to be learned across the island in terms of how we engage. Speaking as a former combatant, having combatants involved in this type of work was absolutely crucial. One was going into communities in which people knew and understood one's history.

The combatants are able to tell the communities that they have walked the walk and talked and talk, and that people need to change what they are doing. We cannot point the finger at the criminal justice system and say something is its fault. Many of the issues being grappled with in our communities were our fault and of our making. They were being fed and underpinned by a value system that we created and developed.

To change this situation, one needs to be inclusive. A core value of restorative practice and its principles is inclusiveness. Once one starts to exclude, one starts down the road to failure. Involving as many people as possible is key, but the criminal justice system must also be expected to deliver on issues. For example, I met the police recently concerning the issue of serious crime. Community Restorative Justice Ireland, CRJI, has been responsible for millions of pounds worth of drugs being found. We have shared information with the police concerning criminals who are working across the island. When we asked the PSNI about its island drug strategy, we were told it did not have one. How can one police drugs in Ireland with an imaginary border? The criminals are smarter than us, as they do not see borders, Catholic communities, republican communities or Protestant communities. They see markets, potential and money-making schemes. We are struggling with the Border, geographical spheres, high-level relationships, etc. Meanwhile, criminals are building relationships. A major drugs seizure in the North saw a north Dublin criminal, a north County Down criminal and a guy from west Belfast arrested. It was a cross-community, cross-Ireland venture. We need to understand that these people are ahead of us. Only through this type of dialogue can we get to grips with that fact. North-South engagement needs to flow. Projects like ours can achieve that.

In terms of Dundalk, we are working with marginalised communities, for example, the Polish and Nigerian communities, and trying to include them in the wider community sphere and introduce them to the statutory world. Many of the communities in question have formed pockets and live in bubbles. We are trying to break down the barriers and build awareness in the settled or host community. The marginalised communities' pockets are not big worlds. It is not that they do not want others to enter. Rather, it is a question of not understanding the place, the cultures or the ways. Let us get communication flowing and start opening up avenues of dialogue instead of simply seeing people on the other side. This is the main focus of that element of our work.

The 600 cases related to punishments. We dealt with 1,700 cases last year. I am sure that Northern Ireland Alternatives did likewise. While we focused on the 600, we were also dealing with a raft of other issues. Some of those cases saw very productive follow-up. Among others, including Professor Harry Mika, we engaged with statutory agencies on these cases.

The next step in policing with the community must focus on how to get better at what we do, how to maintain engagement and how to resource the community end. If we do not keep the community at the heart of this work, we will revert to the old status quo. It is a question of taking positives from negatives. The conflict in the North was negative. All conflict is negative, but out of it can come the opportunity for change. It can be transformative. The conflict helped us do that. A key element of the Patten report was policing with the community. This should be at the heart of all of our experiences of the criminal justice system. It should not do things to people, but with them. It is a question of being a part of the process and the system. If we can start to build this concept into our way of thinking, we will create a more holistic way of dealing with matters.