The findings of the Independent Reporting Commission into paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland are a stark warning that violence and the threat of violence remain a serious risk to peace and reconciliation. The commission also points to the negative impact of the suspension of the Northern Executive since January 2017. File photograph: Arthur Allison/PacemakerAn important feature of the report is that it emphasises the need for a whole-of-society approach to ending paramilitarism. The report points to educational under-attainment in particular areas as one of the important contributors to paramilitary activity. What has been done in Limerick, in particular, demonstrates the transformational progress that can be made in tackling seemingly intractable issues around criminality and gangs.

Source: The Irish Times November 05, 2019 18:00 UTC