Latest Stories

The moves have come just two months before the August deadline for loyalist decommissioning which the government set earlier this year.

Most of the weapons in the hands of the UVF and UDA are believed to have been handguns, with a smaller number of rifles and shotguns.

It was certainly nothing like the size of range of weaponry decommissioned by the IRA four years ago.

Nevertheless, politicians have welcomed the loyalist moves and expressed the hope that it will lead to full decommissioning.

Our Home Affairs Correspondent, Vincent Kearney, examines how the paramilitary organisations decided to get rid of their arms as the deadline loomed.