Debate contribution: Organised Crime and Paramilitary Activity: Cross-border Cooperation
Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on .
- MLA
- Mrs Naomi Long
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 14 April 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Organised Crime and Paramilitary Activity: Cross-border Cooperation
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5482359
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Through the organised crime task force, there are regular meetings between officials in the PSNI and an Garda Síochána, and those meetings have been very fruitful. As a matter of routine, there is cooperative working not just in border communities but further afield. That is very helpful, because we recognise that many of the issues to which the Member refers are not limited solely to Northern Ireland or the border counties, as there are elements of organised crime that extend way beyond both jurisdictions and into others. It is therefore important that we have the opportunity to work collaboratively and cooperatively. There are a number of initiatives taking place. The Member will be aware of the work being done around drugs, which is one of the themes, but, through the IGA, we also look at wider issues, such as human trafficking. I had a conversation with Jim O'Callaghan about that issue. It is important to recognise that it does not matter to organised criminals whether they traffic people or goods. They treat them all as simply collateral from which to make money. They have no compassion for the people who receive those goods and, if it is drugs, can end up with serious addictions or worse. Nor do they have any compassion for the people whom they traffic for other reasons of exploitation. It is, therefore, important that there is that good, collaborative working relationship. The recent conference that I attended, which included the like of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and HMRC, is just one example of how law enforcement comes together on a regular basis to look at how we can shut down those organised crime gangs and ensure that the path that enables them to cause mayhem and destruction is frustrated.
295 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 (0.63).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- 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 | 0.63 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.71 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.25 |
| Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers | 0.02 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.02 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:18 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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