Debate contribution: Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime: Update
Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on .
- MLA
- Mrs Naomi Long
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 30 June 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime: Update
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5653264
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The Executive programme on paramilitarism and organised crime, for which I am lead Minister, brings together Departments, statutory agencies and community partners to deliver a public health, whole-system approach to tackling paramilitarism. EPPOC invests in over 100 evidence-based interventions to address paramilitary harm across Northern Ireland, bringing together robust law enforcement, support for individuals and communities, and early intervention to support young people at risk of exploitation. Alongside those interventions, public awareness campaigns such as Ending the Harm have played an important role in exposing coercive control, challenging paramilitary influence and encouraging people to come forward for help. That multidisciplinary, cross-departmental approach has seen tangible outcomes. Paramilitary violence and intimidation has reduced, and tens of thousands of people have received support in their communities. The programme has improved collaboration on that issue across the system, as well as having supported new responses to child criminal exploitation and put in place credible pathways for those engaged, or at risk of becoming engaged, in gang violence. Just this month, a custody navigator project started under the programme to support individuals at the point of justice contact by providing clear pathways away from harm and criminality. More broadly, we are analysing the lessons learned from the decade of delivery and engaging with stakeholders and other Departments to decide how the next Executive will take forward the programme when its current mandate ends in March 2027. They will have to build on the progress already made on protecting people, strengthening communities and preventing future generations from being drawn into paramilitarism.
256 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.68).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.95).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.68 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.95 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.05 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.90 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.09 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:10 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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