Armstrong welcomes anti-elderly Crime Unit
Ulster Unionist assembly member for Mid-Ulster, Billy Armstrong, has welcomed the setting up of a new police team to combat gang attacks on pensioners.
In a statement, Mr Armstrong said: “In recent weeks, there have been a number of disgraceful burglary-related attacks upon elderly people across Northern Ireland.
“It would appear that there are gangs systematically targeting older people, often these individuals are masked and are armed. They are willing to inflict physical hurt and psychological suffering upon their victims. It is a miracle that there have been no lives lost as a result of these aggressors’ actions.
“There is a very real sense of fear throughout the community. Whilst statistics suggest that an elderly person living in Northern Ireland is less likely to become a victim of crime than their counterpart in England, Scotland and Wales: there is an inbuilt perception and indeed fear amongst our older people that they are a target.”
He added: “I welcome the fact that the Police have at long last realised how serious this issue is. By establishing a special crime unit, supported with the necessary specialised resources, it is my hope that the PSNI will make real inroads into smashing the criminal gangs who are perpetrating these wicked crimes.
“Those who attack the elderly prey upon older people’s vulnerability and good nature in order to fuel their own selfish ends.”
He continued: “All of us can do something to combat this scourge. We must look after our elderly neighbours, whether that is through visiting them, phoning them or indeed ensuring that their home is secure and less susceptible to a break-in.
“As a community we must reclaim society from those who seek to destroy its very fabric,” concluded the Mid-Ulster Assemblyman.