Ulster Unionist Leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA, has welcomed the Secretary of State`s statement and described it as a ‘positive step forward’.
Mr Nesbitt said:
“We welcome this statement. It is the sort of thing we called for and is a positive step forward. The time has come to stop turning a blind eye to the blight of paramilitarism and organised crime on society, communities and the economy.
“We told the Government earlier this week that we would be holding a Party Executive meeting on Friday afternoon and that we would need to see developments and have something to report. I`m glad that the Secretary of State and the Government listened closely to our concerns which I believe reflect the same concerns of the law abiding majority in Northern Ireland. I`ll speak to the Party Executive this afternoon and reflect on where we go from here.
“If the governments have the will to do it and provide the necessary resources, a co-ordinated, targeted approach involving the PSNI and all statutory agencies in UK and the Republic of Ireland can begin to systematically pull down these crime empires. That is to be welcomed.
“I hope to hear more detail in the coming hours and days.”