Member's statement: Road Traffic Collisions: PSNI/Garda Síochána Cooperation
Member's statement by Mr Cathal Boylan on .
- MLA
- Mr Cathal Boylan
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 3 February 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Road Traffic Collisions: PSNI/Garda Síochána Cooperation
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5362289
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Last week, I listened attentively to an emotional discussion on the radio about fatal road traffic collisions in border areas. I commend those who spoke up about their experiences, including Laura Radcliffe, who spoke about the tragic loss of her sister Kathryn, and Debbie Mullan from Road Victim Support NI-Donegal. The heartbreaking stories that were shared about the experiences of families who have had to contend with two separate police services, one on each side of the border, are harrowing. Laura Radcliffe talked about the current arrangements between Garda and PSNI officers, which make the sharing of information about road traffic collisions harder, because the family hears everything twice. That impacts not only on information-sharing, which should be done in a way that is sensitive towards a grieving family, but on the giving back of the victims' belongings.
In the case of Kathryn Jones, her sister said, during the interview last week, that a family member had to go to the border to meet the gardaí. It was not done in a station; it was very exposed and out in the open. That compounds the grief that families face. There is currently no agreement in place that allows officers to cross the border to deliver messages regarding road deaths, which is a very practical and insensitive effect of partition in border communities. My colleague Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD has submitted a question to the Justice Minister in the South about enhanced cooperation between both services to explore whether there are opportunities for exemptions to the current arrangements that would allow a more sensitive approach to be taken. Similarly, I have raised the matter with the Justice Minister here through an Assembly question for written answer. Furthermore, the way in which information is shared and the format by which personal belongings are returned are areas that also need attention. If we can work to improve communication between the authorities and bereaved families so that it is in person where possible, we should. If we can explore a better way of returning personal belongings to families, we absolutely must. Importantly, common sense and sensitivity should be the cornerstone of the approach in those circumstances. I commend the good work that is done through cross-border cooperation, but the lived experiences of families need to be reflected on, and change needs to happen to best support the loved ones of those who lose their lives on our roads.
404 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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