Written evidence submitted by the Stop Attacks Forum, related to the effect of paramilitaries on society in Northern Ireland inquiry, (PNI0017)

The #StopAttacks Forum is a group of youth workers, academics, church members, clergy and other activists who have come together to develop robust and long-term strategies to end paramilitary shootings, beatings and the culture of threat and intimidation created and sustained by these groups. Our primary aim is to create dialogue that leads to new responses to the problem of violent attacks (shootings and beatings) by armed paramilitary gangs against members of local communities. In doing so, we are conscious that this is an issue that has been a problem for more than two generations and one which has been largely neglected. We want to avoid blaming or finger-pointing and continue to invite anyone to the table who is committed and has influence to work with us to end this barbaric practice. 

We are delighted that the Northern Ireland Affairs committee is looking into the impact of paramilitaries on our society as we feel that their impact on communities - and in particular on the lives of vulnerable young people – is often ignored or considered ‘normal’.  We feel that it is critical that the UK Government and Irish Government strongly encourage the Northern Ireland Assembly to do more to address the issue of violent paramilitary assaults known as ‘Paramilitary Style Assaults’.  Whilst we welcome initiatives including the Tackling Paramilitarism Programme and a series of policy commitments including through ‘Fresh Start’ and ‘New Decade, New Approach’, we believe that there is a need for stronger action to tackle this scourge which we see as the key mechanism for social control by these organised criminal groups.

In the past 5 years (to March ’22) according to the PSNI there have been 362 violent paramilitary assaults.  Although there is some evidence of a downward trend, we are worried that the current political context and the extreme hardship faced by working class communities could create conditions for this problem to increase.  We also worry that the beatings (more prevalent in ‘loyalist’ communities) are under-reported.  The clearance rate for these crimes is around 2% - one of the lowest rates for any crime in Northern Ireland.

• Whether the UK Government, NI Executive and Irish Government are working effectively together to achieve a society free of paramilitarism; 
• We believe that the Northern Ireland government is in breach of its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Human Rights Act to adequately safeguard those who are under threat, being groomed or coerced by paramilitary groups – particularly when the victims are children or there are children in the home of the victim.  When notice of a treat to life is delivered by the PSNI (TM1 form) we have not seen adequate safeguarding follow-through by the police or by social services who are responsible for safeguarding. 
• Where people (including children and young people) have been victims of these violent assaults, we have seen a lack of after-care for victims – particularly mental health support.  There is no medical protocol in place to follow up these victims and to support their physical and mental health.  We believe there are links between paramilitary threats and violence and the levels of suicide in the neighbourhoods in which they operate.
• Northern Ireland has no strategy to address the radicalisation and recruitment of young people despite evidence of grooming and coercion.  Indeed we believe that some of this grooming may happen in groups and settings which are publicly funded. 
• Both at Easter rallies run by dissident Republican groups and riots organised in part by Loyalist groups, we have seen young people being groomed and radicalised.  These young people are also often criminalised for the activities they have been caught up in.  We would like to see more focus on safeguarding young people who are subject to criminal exploitation (CCE) and the prosecution of the adults responsible.

• Whether the approach of the UK Government and NI Executive to tackling paramilitarism is sufficiently sustained, resourced and joined-up;  
• Whilst we welcome the Tackling Paramilitarism programme, one of its weaknesses for communities is the short-term nature of funding.  We believe that short-term funding results in short-term thinking and a focus on outputs rather than outcomes.  The bureaucratic nature of funding also means that the resources often go to statutory or large voluntary organisations.  We do not feel that the investment and commitment to this programme allows for the kind of scale of collaboration and innovation that could make a long-term difference.  
• In the reporting of the programme we see the focus as being on the short-term outputs rather than long-term outcomes of this work.  With short funding cycles this is inevitable, but there is a need to think long-term and to build the expertise to tackle difficult and complex problems.
• We see some worrying gaps in the current provision – for example a lack of focus on young women as highlighted recently by Dr McAlister from QUB – and a focus on helping young people to leave paramilitary groups and build more constructive lives.

• How effective measures under the Fresh Start Agreement have been in combining police and justice measures and tackling socio-economic issues to eradicate paramilitarism in Northern Ireland; 
• We welcome the work of the Paramilitary Crime Taskforce and we believe it has had some significant successes.  However we think there is a missed opportunity to embed the importance of these in communities where the paramilitaries are present.  For example it would be good to see proceeds of crime resources going directly into those areas for work which challenges violent narratives.
• One of the key problems in building public support is the dreadfully slow pace of prosecutions.  We believe there are examples of justice innovation at community level around the world, and that more should be done (in addition to restorative justice initiatives) to build community confidence and engagement in the justice system, such as community courts and street-based nonviolence programmes.

• What the socio-economic effects are of paramilitaries on communities in Northern Ireland; 
• Others are much more able than us to demonstrate this – but we know that the paramilitaries prey on the most vulnerable people in the most vulnerable communities.  In our experience most of those who are subject to paramilitary violence are sent on a downward spiral which impacts their physical and mental health and their ability to contribute to our economy.  We would welcome an in-depth study on the economic impact of paramilitarism.

• Whether there should be a dedicated formal process of engagement with paramilitary organisations aimed at their disbandment
• We are a little sceptical of the value of resourcing initiatives aimed at disbandment, as we have seen groups connected to paramilitaries receive funding for decades with scant evidence (with some notable exceptions such as NI Alternatives and CRJI) that genuine transformation has happened.  Any such approach needs to be robust, target-driven, externally verified and must have a clear endpoint.  Anything else only allows for ongoing recruitment and this is unacceptable.
• As a step toward this we would like to see better protection of young people who have been groomed, recruited and radicalised using Child Criminal Exploitation approaches and through the use of the National Referral Mechanism.  There is still very active (and often very public as witnessed in dissident republican rallies at Easter in Derry 2022, and the orchestrated riots on Lanark Way and elsewhere in the Spring of 2021) recruitment and grooming of children and young people and ending all recruitment should be a key condition of any disbandment approaches.  It would be helpful to see prosecutions of those responsible for such grooming.
• Programmes for young people who have been involved in these groups should be well resourced and aimed at helping young people rebuild their lives and relationships and help them into education and employment.  As such they should be long-term in nature and based on international best practice (for example in gang work around the world).

May 2022