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Paisley's 'shoot to kill' call slammed
MLA under fire over dissident comments
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
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Policing Board member Ian Paisley Jnr was today under fire from both unionist and nationalist politicians after insisting a shoot-to-kill policy against dissident republicans would be widely accepted.
The former junior minister said police should be able to “deploy ruthlessness” in wiping out dissidents before a member of the security forces is shot dead.
But fellow Policing Board member Basil McCrea said Mr Paisley’s remarks were “very, very detrimental” and his position on the board “must be very suspect”.
And SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly said it was difficult to think of anything which would help the dissident cause more than a shoot-to-kill policy. Sinn Fein’s Daithi McKay also warned the North Antrim MLA against attempting to appeal to the “lowest common denominator”.
The remarks are likely to be raised at the next meeting of the board early next month. The board has already condemned Saturday night’s rocket attack in Lisnaskea in which dissidents used Semtex and directly led to Mr Paisley’s comments.
"Sooner or later there will be a murder of a police officer unless the police are able to deploy ruthlessness in tracking down and wiping out these dissident members," Mr Paisley said.
"I believe the community will accept such measures and if dissidents are shot on sight, the community will accept that it is a necessary use of lethal force to prevent dissident republicanism from growing.”
Mr Paisley Jnr also called on the Executive to review the situation. “Given the seriousness of this most recent murder attempt, I believe the Executive ought to ensure that a full discussion on the security situation must take place with a view to ensuring every encouragement is given to the police and Army in the eradication of dissident republicans," he said.
But Ulster Unionist Mr McCrea said: “It is very unhelpful and difficult to see why Ian jnr is stirring things up apart from trying to remind people he is still here. But he has overstepped the mark and his position on the Board must be very suspect.”
Sinn Fein board member Daithi McKay said: "Clearly Ian Paisley Jnr hasn’t learnt anything from the history of the last 40 years. This is the type of corner boy approach to politics we have come to expect from Paisley Og (junior). What unionist leaders, and in particular the DUP, need to demonstrate is they’re prepared to share power with nationalists and republicans on the basis of equality rather than appealing to lowest common denominator."
SDLP board member Dolores Kelly said: “Some people shoot from the hip, others from the mouth. It seems there are two groups of people who want to drive us back into the past, the ex-provo dissidents and people like Ian Paisley Junior who are still fighting their rearguard action against accountable policing in a shared society.”
"There is no support among law-abiding people for shoot-to-kill in the past, present or future. It is precisely because we drew a line under that sort of so-called policing that we were able to win such wide cross-community support for a new beginning in policing.
"It is difficult to think of anything which would serve the dissident cause better than a shoot-to-kill policy. It is also disturbing that we have anyone involved in policing at any level who can’t work that out for himself."
Renegade republicans have been blamed for seven other murder attempts on officers in the last year.
Yesterday police chiefs revealed that the explosives used in Saturday’s rocket attack contained Semtex originally owned by the Provisional IRA.
Two officers were on patrol on Main Street, Lisnaskea, while a third was in a nearby police vehicle when a man stepped from a white Ford Escort and aimed an improvised rocket launcher at them.
They dived for cover and escaped after suffering shock and minor injuries when the device failed to detonate.
Mr Paisley has called for an inquiry to establish how the dissidents got their hands on the powerful Czech-made explosive and if they have access to more.
Semtex, much of it secured from General Gaddafi’s Libya, was one of the main weapons employed by the IRA when it was active. The Provisionals claimed to have decommissioned its arsenal in 2005.
Mr Paisley said: "There are some crumbs of comfort that the weapons deployment has been botched, or else, more likely, dissidents have been infiltrated and at the last moment the explosives undermined and therefore lives saved.
"However, we cannot always rely upon infiltration and treachery within the ranks of the dissidents to undermine their activity."
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26 Comments
It seems Ian óg is just trying to create divisions between Republicans by making this statement. The reality is that such a measure would need cross-community support to be implemented so obviously it will never come into being.
Posted by TouchtheClouds | 26.08.08, 00:37 GMT
altough i would like to see the end of all violence in n ireland, shoot to kill policy is not the way forward. it really is a blast from the past! sometimes i really do beleive the DUP wish we were back there! time to vote ian jr and the rest out of office!
Posted by steve | 21.08.08, 10:39 GMT
i must have missed something.When did the shoot to kill policy end?
Posted by Johnno | 20.08.08, 22:58 GMT
i agree with stopping any form of paramilitaries with force, but is there not paramilitaries on both sides? not just dissident republicans??
Posted by ji | 20.08.08, 19:44 GMT
As a native of Belfast, everytime I hear comments like this from elected officials it makes me sick to my stomach. Was baby Paisley still in the womb when this violence started some 40 years ago? He is an embarrassment to N.Ireland.
Posted by Ed | 20.08.08, 17:36 GMT
It is ridiculous that some of our politicians with thinly veiled and unsavoury 'right wing' tendencies still think it is ok to speak first and think, much later. No-one wants to go back to the dark days of shootings and bombings - that includes those murdered by 'shoot to kill' policies.
Posted by Sharon Ferrin | 20.08.08, 17:26 GMT
I've ben in Belfast a couple of times. Once for an overnight and left becasue gunfire was not something I was used to and not willing to risk. The second time I stayed a week and loved every moment of it. The difference between to two experiences was measurable. Reading "stuff" like this makes me nauseous to the gut because I think of the "terror" my family who reside in Belfast must live with on a daily basis.
Posted by James Doyle | 20.08.08, 16:47 GMT
If the police encounter a Loyalist/Republican/Islamic group who are of threat to them and the public, then by all means, I’d back them in using whatever force necessary to stop them.
Posted by Robert Scott | 20.08.08, 14:55 GMT
If a policeman is under attack or under the threat of attack then he should obviously have the right to defend himself, and a shot to kill policy would be welcome in that circumstance, as wounding the attacker may not stop him in his attack.
dont think any sensible person would blame a policeman for shooting dead a terrorist if he was just about to try and kill him or someone else
Posted by Gary | 20.08.08, 14:20 GMT
In response to Neill's post. If a member of the PSNI is in a position where he feels his life or other lives are at risk then of course he/she has the right to defend themselves. However, what Mr Paisley seems to be advocating is a shoot to kill on sight policy. Where does it stop then? Might have been ok in Old Testament times but not in the modern civilised world.
Posted by David | 20.08.08, 13:37 GMT
Jnr’s remarks are nothing unusual where the DUP are concerned. Both they and the UUP openly applauded the previous shoot to kill policy of the RUC so this comes as no surprise. What does surprise me and what seems to be a developing worrying trend is that Dolores Kelly by her remarks implies that it is quite acceptable for the PSNI to murder so called dissidents but that the effect of this policy towards dissident support is the important factor against it….not the killing but it’s consequences!!!!!!!!!
D Kelly should be utterly ashamed of herself for making such a remark. A better approach for her to adopt is that of trying to understand why dissidents are turning to use physical methods to achieve their objective of a United Ireland……
The abysmal failure of Nationalist / Republican representatives to fully aquire 'parity of esteem' is surely a root cause..so Dolores dissident actions are a direct result of your failures to represent nationalism....Irish Nationalism Dolores!
Posted by Nigel 96 | 20.08.08, 13:18 GMT
i'm far from a DUP supporter, but Jr didn't actually advocate a 'shoot to kill' policy. i think its fair enough that if the police come under attack, they should be able to protect themselves and others.
Posted by Vicky | 20.08.08, 13:14 GMT
Violence begets violence, hatred begets hatred, we have practically every conflict in history as proof. Clearly Ian Junior is neither worldly wise, mature nor intelligent to say such a stupid thing. Who could vote for him? The DUP clearly still has a few cavemen within their ranks who have learned nothing.
Ok class, people shooting other people in Northern Ireland, did that resolve our issues in the past, yes or no?
Posted by Daniel Ballymena | 20.08.08, 13:04 GMT
So are all you that are expressing outrage really going to say you will be offended if the Police take out these people in the act? Really? These scum are trying their damnest to kill police officers, and their trial and error testing seems to be coming to an end ie they seem to know what they are doing. Are they really representing anyone but themselves? The police deserve the right to reply and the sooner this scum are removed, the better... as for the loyalist groupings, it seems as paramilitaries, they exist in name only nowadays, and once disidents are removed, they will no longer have any excuse to exist... pathetic though that excuse is.
Posted by Neill | 20.08.08, 13:02 GMT
Ian Paisley Jr, what colour is the sky on your planet? Why don't you go the whole hog and reintroduce internment? Heck, while you're at it, what about sending in the Paras? That will show ;em who's boss!
Posted by David | 20.08.08, 12:51 GMT
I heard Jr. on the radio this morning and the man's pathetic ignorance was at the fore once again.
As it stands I am quite certain that any Police officer ALREADY has the justification and means to use leathal force to defend themselves when in a life threatening situation at the hands of paramilitaries.
All he is doing is making an opportunist sound-bite. We should not be surprised by this as it's what he has been doing his entire career.
Posted by John | 20.08.08, 12:24 GMT
What a stupid remark. Thats just the type of remark I would expect from Paisley Jnr.
Does he not think that if the police start shooting people on sight that they will not get it wrong from time to time as they have done in the past, and look what trouble that caused.
If the police start operating a shoot to kill policy on republicans are they going to operate the same policy with loyalists?
Posted by Republican | 20.08.08, 12:16 GMT
This lethal force option does seem to be a bit a blast from the past, but how many of the outraged contributers below, would be prepared to give the news to the bereaved relations of the first police officer murdered? or for that matter, God forbid, the relatives of any members of the public caught up in a rocket attack. The dissidents are a symptom of a problem. We all need to make a lot more effort building the new concensus in this country/island rather than taking cheap shots at Ian Og and co. Somethings are better ignored..
Posted by Andy | 20.08.08, 12:03 GMT
Is baby doc trying to outdo Iris?
Posted by Alex crumlin | 20.08.08, 10:41 GMT
And as for the dissident loyalists (UDA, UVF, etc) who have so-far decommissioned not as much as a baseball bat, what would the fair-minded, peace-loving Mr Paisley Junior recommend?
This muppet really does miss the good old days of the Troubles it seems...
Posted by Timothy | 20.08.08, 10:07 GMT
26 Comments