The new Justice Minister believes that people who commit crimes in Fermanagh should continue be put on trial in Fermanagh.

During a visit to the county last Thursday, David Ford, was asked if Enniskillen's historic courthouse has a future when many local trials are now held in the modern Dungannon Courthouse. It was purpose built to serve the special needs of today's judicial system and is popular with lawyers, the majority of whom are based in Belfast and for whom Dungannon is just a one-hour drive down the motorway.

Mr. Ford said his Department of Justice is looking at a possible revue of court boundaries. Fermanagh currently lies within the County Court Division of Fermanagh and Tyrone, which extends north to Omagh and Strabane and east to Cookstown and Dungannon.

However, he said the "key issue" is that trials continue to be held in the areas where the crime is committed.

"If it's a Fermanagh case it will still be held in Enniskillen," he stated.

He said the other thing his Department intended to do was to get some more modern and fit-for-purpose court buildings.

He referred to cases where there are vulnerable victims or witnesses. In such cases the Public Prosecution Service can apply for "special measures" to enable, for example, a rape victim to give evidence without having to face her attacker in an open court. This can mean the victim sitting in another room and giving evidence via video link on a television screen. Dungannon Court has this facility and also has individual video screens for each member of the jury, enabling lawyers to show them pictures and video of crime scenes, etc.

Enniskillen Courthouse only has limited video facilities. The law there has still to catch up with the technology. For instance it used to have video tape recorders that could play back pictures from CCTV or a police car's on board camera. Today those pictures are recorded on DVD. So a Fermanagh case currently awaiting to go to trial has already been switched to Omagh Courthouse so that a police DVD of the incident can be played to the judge.

Mr. Ford said the buildings may be old but his Department had to ensure they are practical.

He was asked about a case last week when a High Court judge travelled from Belfast to Enniskillen for an arraignment lasting only a couple of minutes.

The Minister admitted there were huge issues around resources and added that his Department was looking at whether or not we need the arraignment process, when a defendant simply informs the court if they are pleading guilty or not guilty.

During his visit he also met community police officers on patrol in Enniskillen and shop owners involved in Business Watch - a scheme that enables them to alert each other as soon as shoplifters or other criminals hit town.

Mr. Ford said: "The Business Watch scheme is yet another excellent example of people working together to reduce crime levels in our communities.

"I have been impressed by the level of co-operation between retailers throughout the town. The network acts as an early warning alert to any potential criminality and ensures that lines of communication are open to help stop criminals in their tracks," he stated.

The Minister also viewed CCTV footage of Enniskillen Town Centre. Crime in the area covered by CCTV has fallen by 36 per cent since 2005.

He said: "I been interested to hear evidence today of how the CCTV and the Business Watch schemes, working together in Enniskillen, have played a valuable role in securing quick arrests by the PSNI.

"While I understand that CCTV is not a panacea for dealing with crime and anti-social behaviour it can, as part of a wider strategy, lead to real benefits for crime reduction and can make our communities feel safer," the Minister stated.