By Alan Healy
A multi-million pound scheme is to be rolled out in Derry to help local communities break free from the control of paramilitary gangs, it has emerged.
The scheme, which will have initial budget of up to £12m across the North, is being overseen by the Executive Office and Co-operation Ireland, whose Chief Executive is the former PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Peter Sheridan.
Entitled, ‘Building Capacity in Communities in Transition’, the project aims to ‘tackle paramilitary activity, criminality and organised crime’.
As part of this, a programme of research was undertaken, which identified eight areas in Northern Ireland where focus will be given to communities ‘particularly vulnerable to paramilitary activity and control’.
Of the eight locations, one was in Derry – the Brandywell and Creggan.
The announcement comes after an upsurge in paramilitary-style shootings in Derry, the most recent of which saw a 44-year-old man shot in the Madam’s Bank Road area of Shantallow last Sunday, while a 17-year-old boy was shot in the Gartan Square area of the Bogside four days prior to that.
Details of the new project were unveiled at Thursday afternoon’s meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Health and Community committee.
Speaking at the meeting, Anthony Quinn, Co-operation Ireland, said that the scheme would also entail addressing issues such as reducing recruitment to paramilitary organisations, and also support members of such gangs who may be ‘caught up in the past’ and ‘transition’ out of criminality.
He added that the first phase of the scheme was scheduled to be complete by February 2018, and that this first phase would involve a ‘fact finding phase’ whereby interviews would be conducted with individuals and focus groups, before the establishment of a ‘lead liaison group’.
Mr Quinn continued that this group would advise on how to best deliver the scheme.
The meeting also heard from Linsey Farrell, Director of Urban Villages, Racial Equality & Communities in Transition added that the final budget for the budget had not been set, and would be ‘informed by need’.
However, she did add that ‘it could be up to £12m’.
“We’re not saying that is the definitive figure,” Ms Farrell continued.
Scheme 'Belfast heavy'
Commenting, Sinn Fein’s Eric McGinley said that due to the ‘nature of the issues’ being addressed by the scheme, the scheme needed to adopt a ‘very careful and very sensitive approach’.
He continued that the transition scheme ‘needed to be more than a cosmetic exercise’ with ‘adequate resources’.
“You have to ensure that confidence is installed in these communities and that those tasked with upholding the law are also held accountable,” Cllr McGinley added.
Meanwhile, the SDLP’s Brian Tierney, said that he agreed with Cllr McGinley in relation to the resources and building confidence within the community.
However, Cllr Tierney added that he had concerns with the research that identified the Brandywell and Creggan areas as those most vulnerable to paramilitary activity in Derry.
“I would dispute that,” he said, “as over the last number of months, the increase locally has been in the Ballyarnett DEA (District Electoral Area).”
Responding, Ms Farrell said that the areas in their research were ‘very much the starting point’.
Commenting, the independent councillor Paul Gallagher said that the scheme was ‘very Belfast heavy’.
Cllr Gallagher then added that he had concerns over one aspect mentioned in the scheme proposal, which asked whether party politics could ‘hamper’ the delivery of the project.
He then continued that this could be an issued, given that there was the a ‘perception’ that people in the city’s community sector may be ‘gatekeepers’ for political parties, before adding that difficulties around the summer’s bonfire in the Bogside may have been ‘escalated by political parties going in’.
'Not gatekeepers'
His comments were described as ‘absolutely disgraceful’ by the Sinn Fein councillor Kevin Campbell, who said that the problems around the bonfire had been caused by a ‘ handful of negative elements’ within the community who were ‘goading’ people.
Cllr Campbell continued that the community and voluntary sector in the Bogside do ‘a great job and were not gatekeepers for any political party’, before stating that Cllr Gallagher should retract his comments.
His party colleague Eric McGinley said that if ‘we were dealing with perceptions’, then there was a perception that people were being targeted by armed groups for ‘not sharing proceeds’ of criminality and businesses being extorted.
“So let’s talk about perception then,” he added.
“Let’s have it,” Cllr Gallagher replied, before saying that he would be ‘withdrawing nothing’.
If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Derry Now editorial team on 028 7129 6600 for Derry City stories Or 028 7774 3970 for County Derry stories. Or you can email gareth@derrynews.net at any time.