The decision of the British government to proscribe the Ulster Volunteer Force in 1975 is highlighted in confidential files released by the Public Record Office in Belfast.
The action followed a wave of UVF bombings and shootings on October 2, 1975, in which 12 people died.
On the following day, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Merlyn Rees, held a meeting with the British GOC, the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Jamie Flanagan, and senior officials in Stormont Castle. The meeting considered the previous day's violence for which the UVF were thought to be largely responsible. After considerable discussion, Mr Rees decided that the UVF should be proscribed.
It was generally accepted that the direct security advantages would be slight since convictions for membership were virtually impossible without a confession. However, the Secretary of State felt that the continued legal existence of the UVF was sufficiently offensive to the public to warrant proscription. Moreover, such a ban had a general inhibiting effect in areas such as fund-raising, holding meetings and issuing publications. After the GOC and Chief Constable had considered what their immediate action would be against UVF members, it was agreed that the organisation should be proscribed from midnight on October 3, 1975. Mr Rees then signed the order.
The meeting agreed that the strengthening of the law against proscribed organisations should proceed as a matter of urgency. The Secretary of State asked officials to look particularly at the possibility of making it illegal to associate with organisations known to be involved in terrorism. However, it was recognised that the lawyers would be likely to oppose any such changes in the law since they favoured executive detention.