Paramilitary poster condemned
A paramilitary vigilante poster circulated around the Kilcooley estate in Bangor has been condemned by the Mayor of North Down.
The poster, claiming to be a joint statement from the UDA, UVF and Red Hand Commando, encourages the public to report information about a recent spate of burglaries and robberies to “community representatives”, promising that the perpetrators will be “severely dealt with”.
The statement says a number of residents have contacted the groups “seeking our support to end this blight”.
North Down Mayor, councillor Andrew Muir said the poster represented a threat to the rule of law.
The Alliance representative said: “Whilst all crimes, including burglaries and robberies against the elderly are reprehensible, there is no place in our society for vigilante activity from illegal paramilitary organisations seeking to intimidate and control local communities.
“I condemn this attempt to undermine the rule of law without hesitation and hope all other civic leaders will join me in stating that the only people who should be investigating criminal activity and seeking to apprehend alleged offenders are the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
“I would urge the public to contact the Police or Crimestoppers with any information about any crime.”
