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Cops were heavy- handed: Patterson
The Chair of the Belfast District Policing Partnership Board, Ruth Patterson, has criticised the actions of the PSNI who carried out house searches in the Village area of South Belfast at the weekend.
The DUP Councillor said the PSNI were “particularly heavy handed” in their approach while carrying out the searches of two houses near Glenmackin Street in the loyalist stronghold of the Village on Friday evening.
Stones were thrown at PSNI vehicles by gangs of youths and roads surrounding the Broadway and Village area were blocked off to contain the incidents.
Ruth Patterson said that the arrests and searches were carried out under anti-terrorist legislation and were not in any way connected to the recent upsurge in racial incidents in South Belfast. However, a spokesperson for the PSNI last night confirmed that the arrests were linked to recent racist attacks.
“The community simply reacted angrily to the heavy-handedness of the PSNI,” Ruth Patterson said.
“People were frustrated by the police operation but we managed to calm things down by getting the police to pull back,” she said.
“It appears the police went into the area in quite a heavy-handed way and that sparked off disturbances.”
Journalist:: Staff Reporter
Cops were heavy- handed: Patterson
The Chair of the Belfast District Policing Partnership Board, Ruth Patterson, has criticised the actions of the PSNI who carried out house searches in the Village area of South Belfast at the weekend.
The DUP Councillor said the PSNI were “particularly heavy handed” in their approach while carrying out the searches of two houses near Glenmackin Street in the loyalist stronghold of the Village on Friday evening.
Stones were thrown at PSNI vehicles by gangs of youths and roads surrounding the Broadway and Village area were blocked off to contain the incidents.
Ruth Patterson said that the arrests and searches were carried out under anti-terrorist legislation and were not in any way connected to the recent upsurge in racial incidents in South Belfast. However, a spokesperson for the PSNI last night confirmed that the arrests were linked to recent racist attacks.
“The community simply reacted angrily to the heavy-handedness of the PSNI,” Ruth Patterson said.
“People were frustrated by the police operation but we managed to calm things down by getting the police to pull back,” she said.
“It appears the police went into the area in quite a heavy-handed way and that sparked off disturbances.”
Journalist:: Staff Reporter
