The Ulster Unionist Party is bringing a motion to the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday calling on the Justice Minister to ensure the police are properly resourced to allow them and other agencies to close down paramilitary gangs.
Andy Allen, Ulster Unionist MLA for East Belfast stated:
“It`s over twenty years since the Belfast Agreement was signed and there is absolutely no excuse for paramilitary groups to continue to exert coercive control over communities. For far too long people and often entire communities have lived in a state of fear, being threatened and murdered by paramilitary gangs. The political leadership of this country needs to send a clear message that it has to end and demonstrate the political will to back the police with the resources they need to tackle all paramilitary groups, no matter what part of the community they come from.”
The wording of Monday`s motion is as follows:
Motion: Ongoing Paramilitarism in Northern Ireland
Proposed:
That this Assembly recognises that many communities across Northern Ireland are still living under siege from paramilitary gangs; reiterates its total rejection of those who continue to engage in criminality, intimidation and coercive control; gives its full support to the agencies working to close down criminal networks and activity; and calls on the Minister of Justice to ensure that the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other agencies are properly resourced to allow them to increase their efforts in addressing ongoing paramilitarism.