In
the Good Friday Agreement, the UK government commits itself to a "normalisation
of security arrangements and practices" in Northern Ireland. The
government has begun a process of demilitarisation. Currently there are
13,500 troops in Northern Ireland, the lowest level since 1970. Troops
are rarely seen on the streets of Belfast and Londonderry and routine
military patrolling has been reduced by over 50% since the signing of
the Agreement. Many security installations and observation posts
have been vacated. Broadway and Templar House observation posts were vacated
in June 2000 and Borucki observation sangar in Crossmaglen and the observation
post at Cloghoge and Cookstown army base have been demolished. Fort George
and Long Kesh army camps have been demolished and three of the six patrol
bases in Fermanagh have been demolished and the remainder should be demolished
by May 2001. Army watchtowers are still active in South Armagh and will
remain active until there is a reduction in the level of threat from dissident
republicans.
The
government's commitment to a process of demilitarisation and the removal
of emergency powers will depend on "the level of overall threat".
The Agreement also commits the UK government to continue its consultations
on the number of legally held firearms. It is estimated that there are
180,000 legally held weapons in Northern Ireland, the majority of them
held by the unionist community. The Irish government commits itself to
initiating a "wide-ranging review of the Offences Against the State
Acts 1939-85" with a view to reform as circumstances permit.
Following the IRA's move on decommissioning in October 2001, the British Army responded by dismantling two watch towers in South Armagh and an Army base in Magherafelt.
