4.3.04
Irelandclick.com
Cop visits are 'Dirty Tricks' by Branch
In a shock new development this week, the PSNI visited the homes of around 15 well-known local hoods to warn them that they’re under threat from the IRA.
But last night furious republican sources slammed the move as Special Branch “dirty tricks”.
They say that the visits are designed to influence the forthcoming report of the Independent Monitoring Commission, brought forward in the wake of the Bobby Tohill incident. Each visit and each threat is reported to the IMC.
The Andersonstown News is aware of no other instance of the PSNI visiting and warning petty criminals about their personal security.
Visits by the PSNI to the homes of well known hoods – to warn them about their personal security – have been slammed as Special Branch ‘dirty tricks’.
Over the past week the Andersonstown News has learned that the homes of up to 15 teenage tearaways have been visited by the PSNI. The young thugs are being told that they are under threat from republican paramilitaries.
However ,a well placed republican source says the visits, coming in the wake of the Independent Monitoring Commission Report into the state of paramilitary ceasefires being brought forward, are nothing more than political spin.
Each visit made by the PSNI to warn people about their personal security is in turn logged by the Commission. An attempt to push up the number of perceived ‘breaches’ of the IRA ceasefire by making house calls to the homes of the local hoods is the reason for the visits, say local republicans.
PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde turned up the heat further yesterday when he claimed at a meeting of the Policing Board that the IRA had carried out more than 50 so-called punishment attacks and shootings over the past year.
Hugh Orde said the IRA were “matching loyalist levels of brutality”.
“I pointed out a couple of weeks ago that the UDA were still committing a large amount of punishment beatings, still engaged in the trafficking of drugs within their own community,” said Mr Orde. “The Provisional IRA have, without doubt, committed a similar amount of punishment beatings and shootings. I would attribute most of the republican attacks to the Provisional IRA rather than dissident groups.”
Over the past week a number of homes in the Lower Falls and Divis areas have been visited by the PSNI and teenage residents told that they are under threat.
Homes in the Markets area of Belfast have also been visited and a number of young men told that they are under threat from republicans.
Some of the people warned in the Markets area have no links to criminal activity or any history of anti-social behaviour.
A well placed republican source told the Andersonstown News that the recent PSNI interest in the safety of local hoods “has nothing to do with any threat and is politically motivated.”
The IMC are now expected to publish their report well ahead of the original July deadline. With unionists calling for Sinn Féin to be excluded in the wake of the alleged abduction of Bobby Tohill, the latest round of PSNI house calls is expected to strengthen the unionist position.
“This is an attempt to paint a picture of heightened republican activity ahead of the Monitoring Commission report,” our republican source claimed.
“This is clear evidence of Special Branch doing its best once again to put the current process at risk.”
Journalist:: Allison Morris
Cop visits are 'Dirty Tricks' by Branch
In a shock new development this week, the PSNI visited the homes of around 15 well-known local hoods to warn them that they’re under threat from the IRA.
But last night furious republican sources slammed the move as Special Branch “dirty tricks”.
They say that the visits are designed to influence the forthcoming report of the Independent Monitoring Commission, brought forward in the wake of the Bobby Tohill incident. Each visit and each threat is reported to the IMC.
The Andersonstown News is aware of no other instance of the PSNI visiting and warning petty criminals about their personal security.
Visits by the PSNI to the homes of well known hoods – to warn them about their personal security – have been slammed as Special Branch ‘dirty tricks’.
Over the past week the Andersonstown News has learned that the homes of up to 15 teenage tearaways have been visited by the PSNI. The young thugs are being told that they are under threat from republican paramilitaries.
However ,a well placed republican source says the visits, coming in the wake of the Independent Monitoring Commission Report into the state of paramilitary ceasefires being brought forward, are nothing more than political spin.
Each visit made by the PSNI to warn people about their personal security is in turn logged by the Commission. An attempt to push up the number of perceived ‘breaches’ of the IRA ceasefire by making house calls to the homes of the local hoods is the reason for the visits, say local republicans.
PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde turned up the heat further yesterday when he claimed at a meeting of the Policing Board that the IRA had carried out more than 50 so-called punishment attacks and shootings over the past year.
Hugh Orde said the IRA were “matching loyalist levels of brutality”.
“I pointed out a couple of weeks ago that the UDA were still committing a large amount of punishment beatings, still engaged in the trafficking of drugs within their own community,” said Mr Orde. “The Provisional IRA have, without doubt, committed a similar amount of punishment beatings and shootings. I would attribute most of the republican attacks to the Provisional IRA rather than dissident groups.”
Over the past week a number of homes in the Lower Falls and Divis areas have been visited by the PSNI and teenage residents told that they are under threat.
Homes in the Markets area of Belfast have also been visited and a number of young men told that they are under threat from republicans.
Some of the people warned in the Markets area have no links to criminal activity or any history of anti-social behaviour.
A well placed republican source told the Andersonstown News that the recent PSNI interest in the safety of local hoods “has nothing to do with any threat and is politically motivated.”
The IMC are now expected to publish their report well ahead of the original July deadline. With unionists calling for Sinn Féin to be excluded in the wake of the alleged abduction of Bobby Tohill, the latest round of PSNI house calls is expected to strengthen the unionist position.
“This is an attempt to paint a picture of heightened republican activity ahead of the Monitoring Commission report,” our republican source claimed.
“This is clear evidence of Special Branch doing its best once again to put the current process at risk.”
Journalist:: Allison Morris
