Paramilitary assaults on the decrease

THE number of paramilitary-style assaults in Belfast and part of Co Antrim have more than halved over the last year.

They are usually carried out by loyalists or dissident republican groups on members of their own community, typically involving assailants with iron bars or baseball bats.

PSNI’S head of Criminal Investigation Branch, Detective Chief Superintendent Tim Mairs, said: “While we welcome the reduction, one assault is one too many.

PSNI statistics showed 16 assaults in Belfast over the last year compared to 39 the year before.

In Mid and East Antrim they fell from 17 to seven while Antrim and Newtownabbey district saw the largest increase in numbers, from two to 10.

Alan Mcbride from victims’ group the Wave Trauma Centre said around half of referrals he had been responsible for in the past involved paramilitary intimidation.

He added: “I am hoping this is true. If it has halved in Belfast that is fantastic news.

“There should be no place in society for paramilitary thugs.

“Until recently we saw a lot of people being intimidated.”

Across Northern Ireland there were 64 casualties of paramilitary-style assaults during the last year compared to 76 the previous year. There were 22 victims of paramilitary-style shootings during the last 12 months compared to 26 in the previous period. There was also a decrease in the numbers of security-related deaths and bombings.

Derry City and Strabane was the only district to see an increase in shootings over the last year.