Question
Could the Chief Constable provide further information on the role of the dedicated illegal money lending officer and the department they work in. In addition, could the Chief Constable provide more information on the extent of illegal money lending in the North and where it is most prevalent.
Answer
In financial year 2019/20, PSNI secured funding from HM Treasury to the value of c. £60,000 to provide a dedicated Illegal Money Lending Officer. Initially this officer was allocated to working in the Mid and East Antrim area focussed on providing support to victims.
In April 2024, the role was expanded to cover of all Northern Ireland with the role being developed to include a safeguarding, outreach and investigative approach to illegal money lending. The secured funding for 2025/26 is £116,250.
The Illegal Money Lending Team is based in Organised Crime Branch (C1) in Belfast (Grosvenor Road).
It is difficult for the PSNI to outline accurately the extent of the problem, due to underreporting. This is in part due to fear of reprisal, and in part because of the stigma of debt, but it is also because victims often believe that they have committed a criminal offence. PSNI have worked with partners and made extensive efforts to address underreporting, including a bespoke campaign with Crimestoppers, and although we have made progress, we believe that we are only dealing with the tip of the iceberg. Our assessment is that illegal lending is rife, and that it is present in all communities where there is economic deprivation, regardless of religious or political affiliation, or geographic location. It is this deprivation that allows illegal lending to continue, even more so during the current cost of living crisis. It should also be acknowledged that paramilitaries and terrorist organisations are heavily involved in illegal lending and the profits from it fund their activity.
The team aims to tackle what we have begun to refer to as “predatory lending” by both criminal investigations and disruptive tactics. We believe predatory lending is a more accurate term than simply “illegal lending” due to the perpetrator-victim dynamics. Lenders frequently make the first approach to vulnerable people, deliberately trapping them in a cycle of debt. Many victims pay off their debts several times over due to exorbitant and arbitrary interest rates and “late fees”. When they can no longer afford to make repayments, victims are often coerced into criminal activity or sexual exploitation The PSNI completely disagrees with the narrative that lenders are providing a service in disadvantaged communities.
Gerry Kelly MLA - Sinn Féin