The Policing Board is refusing to participate in vetting arrangements devised as part of the British government's plan to regulate community-based restorative justice (CRJ) programmes in Northern Ireland, The Irish Times has learned.
The rebuff is a major embarrassment for Northern Ireland Office (NIO) ministers and signals an ongoing political battle following tomorrow's planned publication of revised protocols for the operation of the schemes, which SDLP leader Mark Durkan has warned could result in "state-paid vigilantism".
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is understood to be relieved that it will not have the responsibility for deciding on the suitability of people to be employed in CRJ schemes, which are intended to deal with "low-level crime" in local communities, bringing offenders and victims together to make recompense. However the Policing Board has declined a government request to nominate representatives to serve on the proposed vetting panel.
Reflecting growing concern that former paramilitary prisoners with convictions ranging from involvement in so-called "punishment" attacks to murder would be eligible to participate in CRJ schemes, the Policing Board has told the NIO the proposed vetting procedures are "not sufficiently robust".
British government officials are now admitting they "got it wrong" with the draft guidelines published last December, saying that the protocols being unveiled to MPs tomorrow will reflect the concerns expressed in particular by the SDLP.
However the SDLP continued to escalate its campaign against the proposals over the weekend, effectively challenging ministers to break the Sinn Féin connection with restorative justice schemes and to deny state funding and approval to any scheme which does not support the PSNI.
Pressure was also building on British prime minister Tony Blair after the intervention of Conservative leader David Cameron, who discussed the issue with Mr Durkan last Wednesday.
Following his promise to reflect the SDLP leader's concerns to the prime minister, Mr Cameron had his Northern Ireland spokesman David Lidington raise the issue directly with Mr Blair's chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, on Friday.
Mr Lidington pressed Mr Cameron's view that CRJ schemes could only proceed if there was clear PSNI involvement and safeguards to exclude people with "serious criminal convictions" or background intelligence pointing to paramilitary involvement.