DUMP THESE KNIVES AND DRUGS, URGES ASSEMBLYMAN

An Ulster Unionist Assemblyman today repeated his call for decommissioning
- - not only of paramilitary weapons but of the drug, knife and crime culture
which is spreading through the province.

Ken Robinson has expressed his deep concern at the increasing frequency of
violent incidents within the east Antrim area.

Last week a shopkeeper in Jordanstown sustained a knife-wound to the face
in one of five raids in Newtownabbey.

And it has brought the total of number of armed raids in the borough in
just three weeks to 13.

Mr Robinson said he was becoming increasingly alarmed at the rate of
robberies, assaults and threatening attacks made against 'ordinary, decent,
peaceful citizens."

"I am especially perturbed at several physical attacks made against local
business people and their premises.

"The kind of criminal behaviour that we are witnessing is synonymous with a
'Mafia-styled' state. It certainly has no place in the peaceful Northern
Ireland that we are all striving to create.

"It is worrying that thuggish, militant behaviour by a few should have such
a detrimental effect on the rest of the community.

"When weapons are used, then this surely underlines the immediate necessity
to have the decommissioning issue dealt with?" he said.

Mr Robinson said he believed that the decommissioning of paramilitary
weaponry was insufficient.

"We also need to see the decommissioning of the drug, knife and crime
culture that permeates the minds and actions of these young thugs.

"They have to realise that civilised societies throughout the world hit
hard on such behaviour.

"People caught up in this dead-end lifestyle must be encouraged to turn
away from it and to embrace the new skills and opportunities that are
available to them rather than spending time wastefully settling old scores
from past hatreds and adding new ones to their lists.

"I would encourage the entire community at this time to be vigilant and to
report whatever information they have to the police.

"We must not allow our society to develop an apathy towards the criminal,
or a tolerance of crime."