Police 'working day and night' to identify those involved in disorder

So far police have made 24 arrests and 14 people have been charged to court

Police dealt with "sporadic disturbances" across Northern Ireland last night as the force says it welcomes a reduction in the violent disorder seen this week.

Officers were called to a number of different incidents which included the attempted criminal damage of a vehicle in Carrickfergus that has seen a 40-year-old man charged to appear in court next month. Two boys aged 12 and 14 were also arrested after a group of people were reportedly throwing bottles at a property in Lurgan.

A 32-year-old man in the Larne area was arrested by detectives investigating online posts relating to the recent disorder in Northern Ireland on suspicion of encouraging or assisting offences and possession of a class B controlled drug. He remains in custody at this time. Police have said they will "continue to have an ongoing physical and online presence".

So far police have made 24 arrests and 14 people have been charged to court. 64 officers have also been injured as a result of the five nights of violent disorder across Northern Ireland this week which started after police and homes were attacked in Ballymena following a protest on Monday, June 9.

Following this there were further nights of violence in the Co Antrim town along with incidents being reported in North Belfast, Coleraine and two nights of disorder in Portadown.

Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones said: “Our heightened presence in our local communities and continued community engagement to de-escalate violence continued last night, but thankfully, the situation was much calmer than we have seen in recent days.

“I issued a public plea to parent/guardians and families of young people who have been driving the criminal activity in some areas to warn them of the serious consequences of their actions. I am asking for continued conversations amongst local families to deter young people from criminalising themselves.”

ACC Jones continued: “Our Public Order Enquiry Team are working day and night to identify those who have been involved in the disorder over the last number of days. Our Chief Constable and other members of the senior team have been meeting with local community representatives of those affected over the weekend so we can support them as best we can and offer reassurance of our policing operation to restore calm.

"Everyone deserves to feel safe on our streets. So, just as we will seek justice for women and girls who report heinous crimes to us, we will also seek justice for local innocent families who are being targeted by criminality fuelled by hate.

“To date, we have made 24 arrests, 14 of which have resulted in individuals being charged to court. We will continue to robustly investigate the disorder over the last number of days but do not want to see any more young people criminalised by being caught up in this activity.

“Sixty-four of our colleagues have been injured and I commend their bravery and determination. Their unwavering efforts over the last number of days have resulted in a reduction of disorder and I hope the local communities who have been targeted have felt the support of our frontline teams.

“To come under sustained attack when you are there to serve and protect all is disheartening to say the least. They have been steadfast in their commitment to restore peace and I am proud of them all.

“As our investigation continues, we have already released images of a number of individuals we want to identify and interview in connection with our ongoing investigation. In releasing these images, I am asking the wider community to step forward and help us. It is in all of our interests, and in the interests of justice, that those responsible are dealt with and I would urge anyone who may have information to bring it forward.

“If you are able to identify any of the people shown in these images or can provide information about them you should contact us on 101 or on our major incident portal, which is accessible on our website.

“I would also like to reassure the communities that we serve that we will continue to maintain our presence and protect streets. We are grateful for the support of all who condemn this criminality and would, once more, repeat our appeal for calm across Northern Ireland in the coming days.

"Photos and footage, including CCTV, mobile phone or dash cam footage, can be shared with police through the Major Incident Public Portal at https://mipp.police.uk/operation/PSNI25U11-PO1.

"A report can be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/."

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