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Northern Ireland Office

Answer

Mr. John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he is taking to combat organised crime.[23509] Sir John Wheeler: The Government are continuously seeking to enhance the effectiveness of the law to combat racketeering and organised crime in Northern Ireland in a way which balances the freedom of law-abiding people to go about their business against the threat from those who would pervert this freedom. Our primary concern has been to counter the murderous campaigns of republican and loyalist terrorists. This will remain the case so long as it is necessary to combat the activities of groups, or a particular group, who espouse violence as a means of achieving their ends. The Government recognise that racketeering in Northern Ireland is intimately bound up with the activities of the terrorists. Indeed, the problem did not disappear during the ceasefires. There has never been a clear distinction between "terrorist" racketeering and racketeering for personal gain and the report of the Home Affairs Select Committee on Organised Crime has recently warned that combating this menace "should not be hindered by concern about what is and is not `organised' crime". This is why we are taking a number of measures to strengthen the law in dealing with organised crime--no matter what its motivation. It is vital that those who are willing to testify against criminals are properly protected. Included in the Criminal Procedures and Investigation Bill are proposals which protect the fairness of trials from being prejudiced by intimidation: it will be possible for acquittals to be reopened where there has been an offence involving intimidation of witnesses and jurors. In the same Bill, the rules of disclosure in advance of trial are to be recast, with the intention of reducing the risk of unmeritorious acquittals, as where a prosecution has to be stopped to protect the identity of informers. And we hope shortly to bring forward proposals for a new offence of witness intimidation. In other areas, changes which will enable the security services to become involved in the investigation of serious crime will extend to Northern Ireland. No less importantly, we will be taking steps to strengthen and update the law on the confiscation of the proceeds of criminal activity of any nature, in the draft Proceeds of Crime (Northern Ireland) Order which I hope will be laid soon. I will also be looking for ways to enable improved co-operation and exchange of information between the RUC and other forces, whether this concerns intelligence, information technology, DNA samples or other issues. I will look carefully at arrangements between police forces to make sure that arrangements which best serve the needs of the RUC and other forces in the UK are implemented in Northern Ireland. I am also considering ways to facilitate the sharing of information between different agencies and to make sure that Northern Ireland can benefit from full participation in new arrangements at the international level.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

23509; 274 c616-7W

Session

1995-96

Subjects

Crime prevention Crime Intimidation Northern Ireland Police Organised crime Terrorism Witnesses Trials

Legislation

Criminal Procedure and Investigations Bill (HL) 1995/96

Proceeds of Crime (Northern Ireland) Order 1996