Long calls for perpetrators of violence to be brought to justice

Alliance East Belfast MP Naomi Long has welcomed the Secretary of State’s commitment to bring those responsible for recent disturbances, security alerts and violence in her constituency and beyond to justice.

Alliance MP Mrs Long was speaking after questioning Theresa Villiers in the House of Commons today (Wednesday) during Northern Ireland Questions regarding the deteriorating security situation here, which has seen two men murdered in the past week, a 24-year-old woman shot five times in East Belfast and several significant security alerts across the region.

Mrs Long has been the subject of a number of death threats over the past year and her office in East Belfast has been targeted, firstly by protesters and then most recently last week, by a security alert caused by an elaborate hoax device.

She said those responsible for the deterioration, both loyalist and dissident republican paramilitaries, should be subject to the full rigours of the law and called on the Secretary of State to ensure that the PSNI had the resources to deal with this situation.

Naomi Long MP said: “Violence and intimidation is not acceptable, does nothing to progress the cause of those behind it and it has no place in our community. The people who carry out these acts clearly have no regard for the lives of others, never mind the many people, businesses and services affected and disrupted by their actions.

“I am pleased the Secretary of State backed my call for those responsible to be brought to justice and I hope that she will keep the activities of paramilitary groups under close scrutiny. I echo her plea for anyone with information on them to bring it to the police and help bring those behind these incidents to justice.”

ENDS

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