PSNI under fire for 'Old Firm' riot handling
The police were tonight accused of not doing enough to stop sectarian rioting in Belfast which involved up to 400 people and raged for eight hours.
One person was injured during the clashes between Nationalists and Loyalists, which erupted in Cluan Place and Clandeboye Gardens in the east of the city around 6pm yesterday.
The Ulster Unionist Party and Sinn Féin said the trouble should have been dealt with more effectively.
But the Police Service of Northern Ireland defended its response and said it could not resolve community tensions on its own.
Police sources described the riot as spontaneous but it is thought it may have been triggered by the Rangers v Celtic match in Glasgow yesterday afternoon.
East Belfast MLA Michael Copeland said he had raised concerns about trouble flaring in the area but claimed no action was taken.
“I had warned police that attacks against the residents have been on-going, at a low level, for a number of weeks and asked for additional resources to be directed towards the area,” he said.
“Last week I expressed my concern three times to the police that there was the potential for disorder given the Old Firm game.
“Over the weekend, missiles rained on residents, many of which involved some degree of preparation, pointing to a planned and orchestrated attack."
Sinn Féin East Belfast representative Deborah Devenny said the police failed to swiftly crackdown on the rioters.
Ms Devenny said: “The PSNI have once again demonstrated their unwillingness to deal with loyalist thugs intent upon intimidating the people of this area.
“The PSNI have absolutely no control over this situation and when challenged responded that they did not have the resources to deal with it."
