Republican gunmen have carried out more paramilitary-style shootings since April than their loyalist counterparts, reversing a three-year trend which has seen loyalists claim more victims.
Police figures blame republican groups for 28 shootings carried out between April 1 and July 20, with loyalists responsible for 23 during the same period.
But a spate of attacks this week in west Belfast, north Belfast and Co Fermanagh – areas in which republican paramilitaries have traditionally held sway – means the figure for republican shootings has climbed to 33.
This week, loyalist groups have carried out one shooting. Tuesday's UVF gun attack on a 48-year-old man in his home in the Ballybeen estate on the outskirts of east Belfast is being treated by police as attempted murder.
Republicans are believed to have carried out five shootings this week.
On Thursday, a man was shot in both hands in a paramilitary-style shooting in Fermanagh. The incident is believed to be only the second shooting in the county in the last five years.
The man, who was taken from his Lisnaskea home at around 11pm by an armed gang, was brought to Corranny Lough near Roslea on the Co Monaghan border where he was dumped after being shot and beaten.
His shooting came hours after a self-proclaimed dissident republican was shot twice in the right leg in the Oldpark area of north Belfast, in what he believes was a murder attempt by the IRA.
Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly said the attack was "wrong" and that his party "doesn't know" who was behind it.
It was the second shooting in north Belfast in four days, after a 26-year-old man was shot in both ankles in the New Lodge area on Sunday.
In west Belfast, two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, were also shot in separate attacks at Glenveagh Park and West Circular Road on Monday.
In 2002/2003, loyalist paramilitary groups carried out 110 shootings, while republicans shot 94 people.
Loyalists were also blamed for 124 shootings and republicans for 76 in 2001/2002. In 2000/2001, loyalist gunmen carried out 99 paramilitary-style shootings, compared to 89 by republicans.
The last statistical period in which republican groups carried out more shootings than loyalists was 1999/2000, with 70 compared to 53.
SDLP Policing Board member Alex Attwood said the growing number of punishment-style shootings indicated "republican organisations are now reverting to type".
"This does not build confidence and is not the democratic and exclusively peaceful means required of them," he said.
"At a time when there's growing acceptance and support of the PSNI, turf wars of punishment practices are intolerable."
