Organised crime a serious problem in NI: survey

The majority of people in Northern Ireland believe that organised crime is a serious problem in the province.

A staggering 97% of people questioned in the ‘Views on Organised Crime in Northern Ireland: Findings from the April 2004 Northern Ireland Omnibus Survey’, said that organised crime was a problem in the province and that paramilitaries were behind the majority of it.

Almost three quarters (73%) of those surveyed said that they associated drug dealing with organised crime in Northern Ireland, 36% said protection/extortion racketeering, 34% said armed robbery and 26% said fuel smuggling.

Over half (58%) of those surveyed said that they would report someone if they knew they were associated with organised crime while over four fifths (81%) said if they were to report someone that they knew was associated with organised crime, it would be to the police.

Commenting on the findings, NIO Security Minister and Chair of the Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) Ian Pearson said: “While the government and the law enforcement agencies can lead from the front, the scourge of organised crime can only be fully addressed with the support of the public.

“That has been a constant message of the OCTF and I am pleased that this message is getting through to more and more people. This is something we must continue to build on.”

The Bulletin is based on an analysis of 10 questions that were included in the April 2004 Northern Ireland Omnibus Survey, a personal interview survey of 1,301 adults living in private households throughout Northern Ireland.

The research was undertaken to provide new baseline figures and an update of the previous year’s survey findings for the Organised Crime Task Force whose main aim is to provide strategic direction towards tackling organised crime in Northern Ireland.

(MB/GMCG)