Ross Hussey, Ulster Unionist MLA and Policing Board member, has expressed his concern at continuing gun crime, including the latest shootings, where two men were shot at separate locations in the Newry area in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Mr Hussey said:
“The circumstances of these latest shootings are not yet clear, and the police are in the early stages of their investigations.
“However, the continuing prevalence of gun crime on our streets is alarming for all law abiding citizens. Shooting incidents such as those which took place in Newry this morning are utterly barbaric and totally wrong.
“It should be a matter of great public concern that from 1 January 2010 to 27 August 2015, there have been 2,119 crimes where a gun has been involved in Northern Ireland. I recently discovered that 94 weapons have been recovered by the PSNI in the last three years. That in itself shows that gun crime is a major problem in our society. The source and history of these weapons is an issue I intend to keep at the top of the agenda at the Policing Board.”