Belfast police on Friday announced a rise in bombing incidents and shootings in Northern Ireland.

According to the latest police statistics, there were seven bombing incidents recorded in 2022 compared to four during the previous 12 months.

The police said three of these happened in the Derry City and Strabane council area, while two happened in Ards and North Down, and there was one in both Belfast and Mid Ulster.

There was also a rise in shooting incidents, up to 32 from 26, according to the statistics, with most shootings happening in Belfast.

However, the number in Ards and North Down, where there was an ongoing feud between drug gangs with loyalist paramilitary links, has increased to eight from two in the previous year.

The 2022-23 figures compiled by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) from police records covering July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, showed that there was one death described as security-related in the last 12 months, the same number as the previous year.

It relates to the murder of Sean Fox, who was shot in front of more than 100 people inside a west Belfast social club in October 2022.

Meanwhile, there were 28 victims of paramilitary-style assaults, a drop from 36 in the previous 12 months. Of those, most (11) occurred in Belfast, and five were in Ards and North Down.

There were 11 victims of paramilitary-style shootings, the same number as during the previous 12 months.

There were 114 security-related arrests under the Terrorism Act, down from 126 in the previous 12 months, and of those, 20 were subsequently charged, compared to 17 during the previous 12 months. 

(dpa/NAN)