Re~Stirred Forum

Newsnight reports that a certain group - Republican Action Against Drugs - claims to have more weapons than prior to the IRA ceasefire. The group is suspected of murdering one person, shooting forty others, forcing others to leave their homes and, most recently, throwing a bomb at a police vehicle.

Apparently this is all aimed at stopping drug dealers in their localities. The attack on the police is in response to the police having the temerity to investigate RAAD's activities. So not only do RAAD makes themselves out to have community support act as their own jury, judge and executioner with regards to alleged drugs offenders, but they also attempt to intimidate the actual police!

It seems to me that rather than leaving this to the local police, it ought to be a national priority to deal with such groups... isn't that what the Serious Organised Crime Agency is for?

Perhaps tonight's programme has a fuller explanation of the context. I hope so.

I am not convinced that RAAD is against all drug dealing. More likely it is against others dealing in drugs in its "territory".

Given the history of Northern Ireland during 'The Troubles' and the local situation in Londonderry - drug dealing was a paramilitary activity, as a means of funding their activity. For a very long time before the Good Friday Agreement the Provisional IRA effectively had a ceasefire in Londonderry - that rather sets their claims to be well equipped in context.

This is well known in N'Ireland, the "Troubles" hid what is gang warfare. Sadly Bunnyson I think you are near the truth when you say , RAAD are infact fighting about territory re-drugs. worryingly though if not handled properly, and reported correctly could erupt into something else, manipulated by gangsters making money from drug misery (for users) and weapons.
The majority of people in N'Ireland definetly wont return to violence, but these gangs will keep trying to justify a return to arms

Yes, I did think that at least some paramilitary factions had engaged in drug dealing in order to fund their other activities and I guess it wouldn't be so surprising if these people are also involved in dealing. Nonetheless, Northern Ireland does seem to very serious problems with gang violence [not just from this group] that PSNI seem to be struggling to control. Certainly, many English cities have problems with gang violence, but I don't think English gangs have quite got to the stage of bombing police vehicles? [the August riots excluded]

Derogatory you stated earlier:

In Northern Ireland, a separate legal jurisdiction (like Scotland), SOCA has no legal standing and this level of activity is not what they directly tackle. The PSNI dominates law enforcement, even if RAAD ostensibly a gang it would unusual if the Security Service did not have an interest.

Secondly you wrote:

Law enforcement always struggles when dealing with gang violence, for example the local record here in B'ham can be criticised and is rescued only by success in high profile cases, invariably murders. Here gang members have been violent towards the police, just not with bombs. Most English gangs would prefer to stay well out of police attention, in Londonderry I expect different rules apply - the PSNI has been trying to become the local, effective police and that is not what the gangs and a small minority do not want.

In Northern Ireland many of the options to counter gang activity are weak, such as public support and the gangs have a history of evading attention - whether it is CCTV, forensic science and informants. There are some who say the PSNI has lost a lot of its skill base and determination.