Allister speaks out on Agri Crime in North Antrim
27 July 2012
Statement by North Antrim TUV MLA Jim Allister:-"The upsurge in agri crime in North Antrim over recent days, particularly the two large scale sheep rustling incidents, speaks to a gear change by organised crime and a very direct challenge to the PSNI. The success of the police response will impact greatly on public confidence in the PSNI's ability to quell such lucrative crime. The folly of closing rural police stations will not be lost on many, as patently it hasn't been on the criminals.
"The sheer audacity of these crimes suggests these gangs are confident they will not be caught. They must be proved wrong and that is the prime challenge now to the PSNI. These gangsters must be brought to book.
"Sometimes it seems to me the focus of the police is misplaced. Recently in the Braid area a farmer succeeded in interrupting thieves in his neighbour's yard, by discharging his shotgun into the air, yet, he has now had his firearms removed and required to undergo police interview. Society and the police must be demonstrably on the side of the victim and not the law breaker."
