IT IS of no surprise that the vast majority of paramilitary style shootings are in nationalist areas.
While loyalists linked to the breakaway South East Antrim UDA were responsible for two feud-related murders over the last 12 months, in the main, loyalists have avoided using guns in so-called punishment attacks in recent years as they continue to - publicly at least - maintain support for the ceasefires.
Given the majority of mainstream loyalist community groupings are funded from the Social Investment Fund, or with EU peace money, any blatant breach of the ceasefires would be financially risky.
Paramilitary beatings, which still occur in loyalist areas, are harder to link officially to any one organisation.
Dissident republican groups however, are not funded directly from central government but by arms length charitable organisations and have no such concerns.
Oglaigh na Eireann (ONH), despite giving a confusing and contradictory statement earlier this year indicating a ceasefire, have been responsible for a number of paramilitary style attacks in west Belfast.
While the INLA would claim to be on ceasefire, a number of people linked to that group have been responsible for the 'taxing' of those involved in drug dealing as well as at least two punishment shootings in the Belfast area in the last year.
The new IRA has maintained a presence in Belfast and Derry and are thought to be responsible for the majority of paramilitary style attacks in both cities.
The drop in the number of attacks on members of the security forces and the rise in the number of punishment shootings shows the inward looking trajectory of the main dissident organisations as they struggle to find relevance in a changing political landscape.
Vigilante style attacks in nationalist areas have a long history dating back to the start of the Troubles when, with the withdrawal of support for the then RUC, they were used as a tactic to 'police' a population who feared the consequences of falling foul of paramilitaries groups.
The PSNI still has much work to go to convince those living in hardline nationalist areas that they are a reformed organisation and while that work is ongoing the vacuum in law enforcement will continue to be filled with localised paramilitary violence.
