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OCTF Awareness Event for Business Community

Date: 22/01/2007

Security Minister and Chair of the Organised Crime Taskforce (OCTF), Paul Goggins MP today urged all victims of extortion to contact the PSNI’s extortion helpline and take the first step in fighting back against organised crime.

Speaking at the first in a series of events to raise awareness within the business community of the work done by the OCTF in tackling crime, Mr Goggins said:

"Organised crime affects the entire community. Extortion, robbery and intellectual property crime all impact on local businesses.

"It is important, therefore, that we reach out to the business community to tell them about the excellent work being done by the Organised Crime Task Force and how we can help them on a practical basis. I’m very grateful to our partners on the Task Force from the business community for hosting this event and making other opportunities available for us to reach out to their members."

At the event Mr Goggins also launched a campaign to publicise the PSNI’s extortion helpline and he praised the success of the police in bringing extortionists before the courts.

"It takes courage to break the vicious cycle that victims of extortion face and to take the first step to fight back against the criminals. By picking up the phone and calling the extortion helpline victims can take that first step. All calls will be treated in confidence and with sensitivity.

"Victims are placed in an almost impossible dilemma, and it may seem that the lesser of two evils is to pay up and live with the threat rather than to report the matter to the police and risk reprisals both to them and their families. But this is a downward spiral into a lawless society where only the criminal profits.

"Last year the police had a 100% success rate for prosecutions in cases of extortion where a report is made, investigated and the victim works with the police. In none of these cases have there been any reprisals against the victims who had the courage to come forward and work with the police."

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