FSB welcome findings of organised crime report

Responding to the publication of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee report on Organised Crime, Northern Ireland’s largest business organisation, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has given a broad welcome to its recommendations.

The Committee's report stressed that organised crime is having a damaging effect on local businesses, many of which are targeted for extortion, which deters them from setting up in certain areas.

Petrol retailers in the province are also understood to have come under particular pressure to accept smuggled and laundered fuel and face threats when they refuse to do so.

According to the report, many in the construction industry in Northern Ireland have also been subject to extortion demands from both loyalist and republican paramilitary organisations.

Wilfred Mitchell, FSB Policy Chairman said: "We are pleased that the Committee have adopted many of our recommendations in their report and we agree with them that Organised Crime is having a negative affect on the economy of Northern Ireland.

“In particular, they have supported our call for the level of fuel duty to equalised with the South, which would take away much of the incentive for the cross border fuel smuggler”

“Their report comes on back of our own recently launched ‘Cracking Business Crime’ survey which showed that Northern Ireland has now the highest level of business crime in the UK.

“The FSB has been continually highlighting the issue of Organised Crime as it now one of the main barriers to a successful business. Organised Crime has closed down many businesses, particularly in areas where racketeering and extortion is prevalent.

“The Government and other agencies cannot ignore this report and we look forward to their detailed response and more importantly what they are going to do to address the crime epidemic that Northern Ireland is facing at this time,” said Mr Mitchell.

The FSB was one of the first groups to be called to give oral evidence to the committee at Westminster in February of this year.

(SP)