Rathenraw challenges RUC
Residents from the Rathenraw housing estate in Antrim have
challenged RUC statements about drug dealing.
The Rathenraw Action Group describe sub-divisional commander for
Antrim Supt Richard Meeke's claim that the RUC have been involved
in bringing down the number of drug dealers on the Rathenraw
estate from `more than a dozen to one' as ``wildly inaccurate''.
The Action Group said, ``at no time in the Rathenraw area has
there been 11 or 13 `families' peddling drugs, not even two years
ago in its heyday. There has never been more than four `families'
involved, and altogether there has only been six or seven
`families' at most over the past ten years.''
The Rathenraw group also demanded ``at least some credit'' that
along with local residents they ``were responsible for the
voluntary leaving of one drug family''.
In the last two weeks the number of attacks on Action Group
members has also increased. One female member has been assaulted
twice at her place of work, one member had two concrete blocks
thrown through his rear car window while another had a kitchen
window smashed.
The group also said, ``there have been numerous threats on our
members, including two individual death threats and one warning
our members that their cars would be burnt.''
``Our group, with the people of Rathenraw, have acted, with
absolutely no help from Superintendent Meeke or the RUC, and at
great risk to ourselves, to deal with the dealers.'' The Action
Group claimed that it wasn't until they organised themselves and
instigated action against the pushers that ``various political
parties ranging from the Democratic Left to the DUP and including
Meeke jump on the bandwagon with a a hearts and minds campaign.''
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)