Crackdown on terror must include rural areas, MLAs warned

A STORMONT action plan to tackle the vestiges of paramilitarism must not neglect rural communities by over-focusing on urban trouble hotspots, Justice Committee chair Paul Frew has insisted.

Mr Frew expressed concern after a senior Department of Justice official said the £50m strategy would home in on places deemed to be heavily influenced by gunmen.

Mr Frew told Department of Justice official Anthony Harbinson that no area of Northern Ireland had gone untouched by paramilitaries, highlighting crimes such as smuggling and racketeering.

“That cocktail of disaster has gone right across Northern Ireland,” he said.

“How can you assure us, how can you assure any MLA who represents rural communities or places where you would have a high level of paramilitary activity in comparison and contrast to the population, how can you alleviate the concern that they would have, and we would have, that this money is going to be allocated fairly to affect all of Northern Ireland, and not just some of the hotspots, if there is such a thing?”

Mr Harbinson, who was briefing committee members on the implementation of the strategy announced in the summer, insisted problems in rural communities would be tackled.

He said while there was a targeted geographical focus to the plan, it also took a thematic approach to issues impacting across the region.

“All of those issues will be taken care of and looked at,” he added. “But there are certain geographic areas where perhaps the prevalence of paramilitaries, whether that be somewhere like Carrickfergus, where we know there is a very strong element of paramilitary activity.

“Those are some of the areas that we would be looking to deal with and take forward.”

Police are beefing-up resources dedicated to tackling paramilitary criminality as part of the plan to eradicate terror groups.

The strategy also includes a pledge from the UK and Irish Governments to “consult to consider” new short-term weapon decommissioning mechanisms.

The 22-page document was the Executive’s response to an independent panel report that recommended actions required to put an end to terrorist organisations.