Republican and loyalist paramilitary organised crime groups (OCGs) continue to impact all areas of society in Northern Ireland. Currently around one third of Northern Ireland -based OCGs are paramilitary organisations or have suspected paramilitary links.
The Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF) are currently proactively investigating six paramilitary organisations:
- East Belfast UVF
- West Belfast UDA
- North and West Belfast INLA
- North West INLA
- South East Antrim UDA
- North Antrim UDA
These groups are involved in all forms of criminality including; paramilitary assaults and shootings, supply and distribution of controlled drugs, blackmail (extortion), intimidation, money lending and money laundering.
Despite the pressures of COVID-19, the number of searches and arrests conducted by the PCTF this year were among the highest since it was established.
Activity | Jan-2021 | Feb-2021 | March-2021 |
Arrests | 4 | 13 | 24 |
Charge & Report | 4 | 12 | 28 |
Searches | 12 | 24 | 29 |
Drugs Seizures | 4 | 10 | 11 |
Vehicle Seizures | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Weapon Seizures | 0 | 5 | 3 |
Cash Seizures | £10,000.00 | £8,625.00 | £9,580.00 |