Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Paramilitary organisations cause harm to their communities and use intimidation and fear to exert influence and control. Paramilitarism will never be justified, and any recruitment being undertaken by paramilitary organisations only serves to prevent people from moving forward with their lives and set children on a regrettable path of criminality.

The Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime, which is jointly funded by the Northern Ireland Executive and UK Government, works to tackle the presence of paramilitaries through evidence-based early interventions, targeted law enforcement measures and initiatives that provide direct support to help build safer communities which are more resilient to paramilitarism.

Socio-economic interventions supported by the Programme aid victims and address the vulnerabilities that lead to involvement in paramilitary activity. Other projects help communities reject paramilitary influence by addressing recruitment and control tactics.

Using a public health approach, the Programme aims to drive long-term systems change across public services. The “Ending the Harm” communication strategy highlights the negative influence of paramilitary organisations on communities and serves as an effective deterrent.

I would also recognise the extraordinary efforts of community and voluntary organisations working day in and day out to support young people at risk of recruitment.