Police clarify paramilitary attack figures
The north west’s top cop last night moved to clarify the number of paramilitary style attacks that have occurred over the last year.
Yesterday the Guardian newspaper reported that in the last year “at least 85 men have been shot..... in ‘punishment’ attacks by Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD), according to police figures.”
But Chief Superintendent Stephen Martin last night said that figure was not in line with PSNI statistics.
He said the actual figures offer a stark contrast to what was claimed in the newspaper
Police statistics show that in the PSNI’s G District - an area that covers Derry, Limavady, Magherafelt and Strabane - there have been a total of 16 casualties as a result of 12 paramilitary style assaults and shootings in the past twelve months.
Police further said that between April 1 2011 and March 31 of this year, there were five casualties from paramilitary style assaults. Over the same time period police figures show there were 11 casualties as a result of paramilitary style shootings, according to police.
Chief Superintendent Martin continued: “I have no reason to suspect that RAAD pose any physical threat to the City of Culture or to visitors coming to enjoy it. However, there is no doubt if they persist with their brutal activities, the image and reputation of the city suffers.
“As I have said before, these are criminal gangs who set themselves up as judge, jury and administers of summary justice. They have brutalised members of their community and inflicted terrible injuries, much of those on young people over the last number of years. They seek to intimidate and bully through the threat of violence and its time they listened to the community, stop what they are doing and disband”.
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Weather for Derry
Thursday 20 June 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South
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