Freds (paramilitary)
Encyclopedia
The Freds were a unit of the Military Reaction Force
in Belfast during The Troubles
. The unit consisted of former members of Loyalist or Republican paramilitary units who had been "turned" to the pro-Government side by Special Branch
and Army intelligence. The Freds were ferried through Belfast familiar to their faction in armoured cars, and through the gunslit would spot and identify paramilitary individuals of note. Through this method the MRF compiled extensive photographs and dossiers of Belfast militants of both factions.
Military Reaction Force
The Military Reaction Force was a paramilitary unit utilised by the British during The Troubles in Belfast. The MRF ran plainclothes patrols in the city, ran agents and debriefed informants...
in Belfast during The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. The unit consisted of former members of Loyalist or Republican paramilitary units who had been "turned" to the pro-Government side by Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
and Army intelligence. The Freds were ferried through Belfast familiar to their faction in armoured cars, and through the gunslit would spot and identify paramilitary individuals of note. Through this method the MRF compiled extensive photographs and dossiers of Belfast militants of both factions.