Northern Ireland deal over police and justice

Gordon Brown, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness meet in Belfast

A deal's been reached in Northern Ireland to save the government there from collapsing.

The two main parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein, have finally agreed how the province should be policed.

For the past few months Northern Ireland has looked like it's on the brink with rows over who controls the police and the courts.

Extremists were trying to block an agreement but after a week of intense talks a deal has fallen into place between the two sides.

For decades in Northern Ireland two sides have fought about what they want their address to be.

On one side the catholic nationalists want to be part of a united Ireland with protestant unionists on the other side wanting to stay part of the United Kingdom.

Over the years, thousands of people have died in the violence.

But for more than a decade the two sides have been working together in government in Belfast operating day to day business such as education.

A couple of weeks ago that peaceful working agreement nearly collapsed but it is now back on.

Pressure

All week, while the talks were going on, Gordon Brown was reportedly making dozens of calls a day to Belfast saying the peace process would only work if people made it happen.

"A new spirit of cooperation and mutual respect and I urge the people of Northern Ireland to seize this opportunity for a better future."

The first minister Peter Robinson, leader of the biggest party in Northern Ireland, also urged all parties to agree.

"No sane person wants to go back to the carnage, violence and the instability that we've endured over the past generation."

A deal has been done over the last piece of the jigsaw - who is in charge of the police.

It's controversial because for years the catholics, many who want to be part of a united Ireland, have seen the police as completely against them.

On the other side unionists are reluctant to give control of the police over to some who they say have been targeting officers.

But now it is happening - or at least they have agreed it should happen.

Gerry Adams is the top politician from Sinn Fein. His party want be part of Ireland.

He said: "I think this will make a huge difference to the people's lives here, if the political leaders grasp it and move it in a positive way."

This new deal took an offer of £800m from the UK government to help but things are still fragile though. The two top men from either side still haven't shaken hands in public.

The crisis is over, they have a deal but now they have to make it happen.