“The organisation that deals with restorative justice in the area..”

As the CTI funding is withdrawn, and 8 men arrested in a planned police operation in connection with “dissident republican activity”, there’s a report here which raises a couple of questions. From the report

In Poleglass in west Belfast, six masked and armed men broke into a house held a gun to the owner`s head and told him to leave within 48 hours. But the man they had attacked was not the man they were after. The victim though was left severely traumatised. The man the gang were after had lived there, but had since moved. A second threat against the man then emerged. He would not be interviewed today but rejected the gang`s claim he is a police informer.

The organisation that deals with restorative justice in the area, Colin Community Restorative Justice, says it has contacted paramilitary groups who deny involvement and has offered to mediate with the criminal gang it says is involved. Police have confirmed there are death threats and that the man the gang were after, who is married with two children, has now fled the area.

Those questions would be – Which paramilitary groups were contacted? And has this RJ organisation actually read the guidelines? Because mediating in this particular case would seem to be well outside their remit.

Pete Baker