Police urge victims of illegal money lenders to reach out for assistance

The workshop was staged at Carrickfergus Cornerstone on Monday, August 15.

Carrickfergus Cornerstone is an adult addiction support group established in 2012 with 20+ beneficiaries.

It was set up to fill a void in the provision of addiction services for adults (18+ years) in the Carrick area. Cornerstone are currently the only provider of this service at community level in the area.

The group meets on a Monday evening 7pm-9pm at 15 Lancasterian Street.

The community engagement workshop was addressed by Constable Sam McClure from the PSNI’s Illegal Money Lending unit.

Speaking to the Times, Constable McClure explained: “I’ve been the Illegal Money Lending Officer for Carrickfergus and Larne since the end of May, a role funded through the Executive Office programme for tackling paramilitaries.

“My role falls under the Mid and East Antrim support hub and is mainly an engagement/support type role, working with partners and those at risk of, or are involved in borrowing from any illegal source.

“We work to identify victims and support them through practical steps that make an immediate difference to their lives and aim to help them escape the spiral of debt and poverty.

“An important part of my role is working to increase awareness of illegal money lending through education. I do this both internally, via training for Local Policing Team and Neighbourhood Policing Team and externally by getting out in the community and identifying forums that would benefit from learning about ilegal money lending or will help spread awareness of the issue.

“Our aim is to remove the demand for this type of lending by supporting and assisting people to manage their money and obtain other sources of finance. Where possible, we gather evidence to put offenders before the courts.”

The talk in east Antrim came on the back of research by Christians Against Poverty (CAP), who in March 2019 said that “the bulk of cases involving illegal money lending are linked to loyalist paramilitary groups, but there are some exceptions to this and this type of activity does seem to happen on both sides of the community.”

The CAP study also stated: “The geographic extent of confirmed illegal lending appears to be limited. East Antrim (Carrickfergus, Larne and surrounding areas), and to a lesser extent, the adjoining Newtownabbey and north Belfast areas, as well as Newtownards, appear to be the main areas where the issue has been most prevalent.

“Such lending is, it seems, more prevalent in towns, with higher density housing estates, than in rural areas, and this is to be expected.”

Detailing a recent success for the Illegal Money Lending unit, Constable McClure explained: “Despite living with his wife in a two wage household, a 45-year-old male had borrowed £100 in order to buy Christmas presents for his young daughter.

“While the settlement fee of £250 had been paid, the financial demands continued. Two days after payday he found himself with no money for basic supplies.

“Having been given one of our ‘shark cards’, he reached out for help and using our contacts we were able to immediately secure eight bags of groceries for the family.

“A referral was also made to MEACAS who then provided a further £300 in food and heat/electricity vouchers. A financial check was conducted which identified the family were under claiming by around £700 per month for assistance with rent and childcare.

“Working with Base2 (NIACRO), he was able to settle his debt and with our support the family were able to substantially increase their income and have no reason to again seek out a loan shark.”

Cornerstone founder, George Clarke stated: “I started the group 10 years ago with the help of Carrickfergus Community Forum. I had just been discharged from Carrick 1 in Holywell Hospital and found that there was no support for adults with addictions in the Carrickfergus area, so I thought a support group like this would be an asset to the community.

“We started with six members who came up with the name Carrickfergus Cornerstone. In that time we have had at least 80-90 members, many of whom went on to a better lifestyle. We have 30 members at present, who support each other. We also have a qualified recovery coach for one to one sessions and we have an allotment for occupational therapy. All the roles in this group are voluntary and we rely on funding and grants for running costs where we can get it.

“We have had workshops and talks throughout the years, our latest being a very successful talk on the pitfalls of illegal money lenders. Thank you very much Sam for your talk and your interest in our group.”

Constable McClure has urged anyone experienceing debt or has been the victim of a loan shark to contact -MEA Community Advice Services 028 9600 1333, -NIACRO (Base2x) – Crisis Intervention 028 9032 0157, Christians Against Poverty or -Insync – Trauma Support Services 028 9032 0157.