Justice Minister David Ford has welcomed the establishment of a new cross border Task Force to tackle paramilitarism and organised crime.
The Task Force will bring together law enforcement agencies from across the island and will be led by senior representatives from the PSNI, An Garda SÃochána, HM Revenue and Customs and the Revenue Commissioners.
Minister Ford said: “I welcome the establishment of this new body and the commitment from all involved to build on the work we have already been doing and step up the momentum in the fight against paramiltarism and organised crime.
“Co-operation between the two jurisdictions on law enforcement has always been good. This new TaskForce will see existing work intensified and enhanced. The structures created will provide a basis for more formalised arrangements between all law enforcement agencies, with the sharing of resources and information to tackle mobile organised crime groups.
“As Chair of the Organised Crime Taskforce in Northern Ireland, I have seen what can be achieved when law enforcement agencies come together with a common goal. I am confident that similar results can be achieved by this new interagency group.
“My Department will continue to work closely with our partners in the Department of Justice and Equality on a range of criminal justice matters. Minister Frances Fitzgerald and I will support and develop opportunities for further co-operation to ensure the best use of expertise and resources in both jurisdictions.
“There is no place for paramilitarism anywhere on this island: we will continue to work together to put in place robust measures to tackle this scourge on society. We will receive regular reports from the Task Force at meetings under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Co-operation on Criminal Justice Matters.”
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