Death threats procedures 'inadequate'

Brice Dickson said victims want their pain recognised

The Human Rights Commission is considering taking the government to court over current arrangements for protecting people facing death threats in Northern Ireland.

Human Rights Commissioner Brice Dickson said he was concerned that the present system for offering protection may be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

"The current schemes basically protect important people, or people who are working in the criminal justice system," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics programme.

"They don't protect all sorts of other classes of people.

"We are still looking for more information about how exactly the schemes are operating.

"We are considering taking judicial review proceedings against the NIO and the police, but we haven't yet done so."

The commission is a statutory body which was established under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

Its role is to ensure that the human rights of everyone in Northern Ireland are protected in law, policy and practice.