Police reassure unionist leaders

Following a meeting last Friday, the DUP say they have been reassured that police have the resources to tackle ongoing sectarian attacks on Protestant areas and any potential trouble arising from a dissident republican protest close to this weekend’s Apprentice Boys parade.

Speaking after the five local DUP councillors met the two most senior police officers in the city, Foyle MLA William Hay said the talks were “very positive and very constructive”.

He also called on the wider community to help police in their bid to tackle ongoing problems, saying: “The police cannot do it all on their own, they need the help of the community.”

The DUP delegation, which also included East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell, came amid the backdrop of last week’s car bomb explosion at Strand Road police station, a series of sectarian attacks on Protestant homes in the city, and growing fears that dissident republican protestors may target the forthcoming Apprentice Boys parade.

Mr Hay and Mr Campbell, along with party colleagues Joe Miller, Maurice Devenney and Drew Thompson, met with Chief Superintendent Stephen Martin and Chief Inspector Chris Yates to address fears that the PSNI has insufficient resources to deal with any potential trouble.

Mr Hay said: "We were there to get reassurance that the resources are there to deal with whatever incidents take place now or in the future and certainly as far as we were concerned those assurances were given. We told them that, especially in working class unionist areas, there was a feeling that a response from the police was sometimes lacking. We felt there was a need for policing to be seen to be measured and fair across the board.”

The delegation also raised concerns about plans by dissident republican groups to stage a white-line protest close to the parade route around the Diamond on August 14.

Mr Hay said that senior police officers went into detail about how they would police the situation on the day and that he was confident the police could cope with whatever incidents may occur.

He appealed to those attending the Apprentice Boys' parade to act with restraint.

"If there is a white-line picket on behalf of prisoners I think it's important that people coming to the parade behave with dignity and don't react to any provocation whatever direction it's coming from," he said.

Mr Hay said it was important that politicians and community leaders do whatever they can, publicly and privately, to lower tensions in the run up to the 14 August parade.

He said: “I would say to anyone who wants to come to Londonderry to cause any kind of trouble, to stay at home. But the rest of us also have a role to play in reducing tensions. The police need the help of all communities in the city who want nothing to do with trouble, and politicians and community leaders all have a role to play as well.

“But if the police are to succeed there is no doubt they need the support of the wider community who can help them by giving information they need to help bring troublemakers to court and get them off the streets.”

Mr Hay said the councillors would keep “a watching brief” and agreed to a police suggestion that they should meet again in early September.