An all-Ireland anti-crime body dealing with offenders, victims and the community has called for a new North-South policing task force to tackle criminal gangs.
The call by Community Restorative Justice comes after the murder on Saturday in Ardoyne of leading Dublin gangster Robbie Lawlor.
Last night, three men who were being questioned by PSNI detectives about the attack were released unconditionally.
The PSNI believes a lone gunmen was involved in the attack and shot the Dublin crimeland figure three or four times.
1/2 The murder in Ardoyne highlights the growth of southern based criminal gangs extending their reach northwards, we have warned of this for a number of years that this would happen. Criminal drug gangs see only money and markets, they are prepared to
— CRJI Central (@CRJIcentral) April 4, 2020
Community Restorative Justice says the murder "highlights the growth of southern based criminal gangs extending their reach northwards."
Said the group in a series of Tweets: "We have warned of this for a number of years. Criminal drug gangs see only money and markets, they are prepared to ravish whole communities in the pursuit of wealth, notoriety and status."
CRJ say gangs operating on an all-island basis are a threat to the entire community and called on the PSNI and Gardaí to "quickly develop an all-island approach to the serious threat of organised drug crime and establish a joint task force."
(Our front photo shows NIHE staff securing the house at Etna Drive, Ardoyne, where Robbie Lawlor was shot.)
