Mcquillan is critical of ‘security policy failure’
A LEAKED document suggesting there are now 12,500 loyalist paramilitaries represents a “complete failure of security policy”, a former Assistant Chief Constable has said.
Alan Mcquillan said such numbers would provide the UVF and UDA with “a very strong base to work on” if the Troubles ever restarted.
“I don’t know what on earth the police or government were doing to allow their ranks to expand in this way,” he said.
The assessment, based on PSNI and MI5 intelligence, states the IRA is still gathering intelligence and has access to some weapons. But it says the Provisionals are no longer recruiting and have a wholly political focus.
A LEAKED security assessment showing that loyalist paramilitary groups have 12,500 members represents a “complete failure of security policy” by the PSNI and Stormont, a former Assistant Chief Constable has said.
Alan Mcquillan told the Belfast Telegraph that such numbers would provide the UVF and UDA with “a very strong base to work on” if the Troubles ever restarted.
He welcomed the news that the Provisional IRA was “no longer corporately involved in violence” and was focused on political activity.
The major threat to the state came from the New IRA, but it was “deeply penetrated” by the security services and its leadership had “lost credibility” with the revelation that alleged MI5 agent Dennis Mcfadden had infiltrated it, he said.
Mr Mcquillan was speaking after a BBC Spotlight investigation on continuing paramilitary activity.
A leaked security assessment, based on PSNI and MI5 intelligence, shows that there are over a dozen paramilitary groups active here — more than during the Troubles.
It says that the UVF has 7,000 members and the UDA 5,000.
The document claims that the UDA leadership is fragmented with tensions in the organisation.
Some senior figures had directed an end to criminality, but it was too early to say if that order had been successful, the report stated. Some UDA factions were heavily involved in serious crime, it added.
The assessment concluded that the UDA was still recruiting new members and had access to arms. It said that the UVF leadership remained in place but has less command over the lower levels of the organisation.
The East Belfast UVF is involved in “punishment-style attacks” and in crime. The group still has weapons.
Since the Good Friday Agreement, loyalist paramilitaries have killed around 70 people from their own community.
“The fact that there are around 12,500 loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland represents a complete failure of security policy,” said Mr McQuillan. “I don’t know what on earth the police or government were doing to allow their ranks to expand in this way.
“At the start of the millennium, police were making major inroads in tackling loyalist paramilitaries. It’s an absolute disgrace that they’ve allowed the numbers to run to this level.”
Mr Mcquillan said that the authorities needed to act swiftly bring the situation under control.
“The main threat loyalist paramilitaries pose is to their own communities through thuggery. But they also pose a threat to the general community through drug-dealing, robberies and criminal activity,” he added.
“If the Troubles restarted here, they’d have a very strong base to work on. I’m not saying we will see a return to violence but, if we did, then having 12,500 UDA and UVF members would be very worrying.”
Sinn Fein claims that the Provisional IRA no longer exists, but this is contradicted by the security assessment obtained by Spotlight.
It says the IRA is a fraction of the size it once was. It states that the Provisionals are no longer recruiting or training and have a wholly political focus.
However, it insists that the organisation is still gathering intelligence — mainly on dissidents and informers — and has access to some weapons. A number of individual IRA members are involved in criminal activities.
Mr Mcquillan said: “I view very positively the assertion that the Provisional IRA is no longer corporately involved in violence.
“In the past, the British Government was happy for the Provos to continue to exist in order to stop their membership joining the dissidents.
“But we are now long past the point of justification for the
organisation’s existence. I don’t see the Provisional IRA as a threat to the peace, but there is no way that it decommissioned all its weapons and that means it represents a potential threat if the conflict was reignited.”
Detective Chief Supt John Mcvea told Spotlight that the INLA was now an exclusively criminal organisation located in Belfast, Derry and Strabane. He said it had extorted drug dealers and had carried out murders. It continues to recruit members and retained weapons.
The assessment said that there were at least seven different dissident groups due to internal splits. It claimed there were around 300 to 400 active republican dissident paramilitaries.
Mr Mcquillan said: “The New IRA is clearly the main threat, but its leadership’s credibility has been shredded by recent revelations that it was penetrated by MI5 at the highest level.
“Allegations that it tried to develop links with Palestinians suggest that it’s following the Provisional IRA playbook circa 1990. I expect its members will show up in South America next.
“The New IRA has an intent to kill, but it is severely constrained by the security services.”