Other NI News In Brief

Shooting Probed

The PSNI have revealed that they fired a number of shots during a disturbance in Co Down. The incident took place at New Road in Carrowdore, near Bangor, at about 12.35pm on Tuesday. They also said that four men have been arrested in connection with the incident. The Police Ombudsman's office has been informed about the shooting incident.

Knife Terror In Cash Heist

A G4 Securicor cash-in-transit van has been robbed at a DIY superstore in Newtownabbey. The incident happened at 4.45pm on Monday at the B&Q outlet on Mill Road and saw two men, one armed with a knife, attacking the security guard and stealing the cash box he was carrying, which contained a substantial sum of money. The PSNI said afterwards that the guard was shaken but uninjured by his ordeal and have appealed for information.

Orange Halls Targeted

Weekend attacks on two rural halls belonging to the Orange Order has been condemned. The incidents happened near Rasharkin in Co Antrim with the PSNI now investigating an arson attack on Ballymaconnelly Orange Hall, which caused scorch damage to the front door and another incident when two paint bombs were thrown at nearby Drumcon Orange Hall. The damage was discovered on Monday but it is believed the attacks took place on Sunday. Police have appealed for information. See: Tensions Rise As Orange Hall Targeted

Larne Road Boosted

NI Transport Minister, Conor Murphy has just announced that the contract for the £113m A8 Belfast to Larne dualling project has been awarded to the consortium Lagan/Ferrovial/Costain. The scheme will dual the 14km section of the A8 between the B95 Coleman's Corner Junction and the B100 Ballyrickard Road Junction. "I welcome the appointment of this contractor to assist in the delivery of this important project, which will complete the dualling of the A8 between Belfast and Larne. This is a strategically important route which links the Port of Larne to Belfast and on to Dublin," he said.

Credit Due For Credit Union Move

SDLP Chair of the Stormont Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) Committee, Alban Maginness, has welcomed a commitment from the British Treasury to ensure credit union members in NI will be afforded the same financial benefit and services enjoyed in Britian and the Republic. "SDLP leader Mark Durkan flew to London yesterday to table amendments to the Financial Services Bill at Westminster to give credit unions in the North the same opportunities as their counterparts in Britain and the South. He was able to withdraw them on a firm Treasury promise introduce legislation to put Credit Union members on a level playing field. It's a measure of the importance of this issue that Mark Durkan, during a critical time in talks on the devolution of policing and justice, personally ensured a positive outcome before returning to Hillsborough for further negotiations," he said.

Ethnic Policing In Focus

The Northern Ireland Policing Board, in collaboration with the Indian Community Centre (ICC) has held a conference this week to explore ways to tackle race-related hate crime through effective partnership working. The conference, which was well attended by statutory, faith-based and community organisations, included case studies from those within the minority ethnic communities who have been subjected to hate crime, highlighting the patterns, causes and consequences of racially motivated incidents. Ashok Sharma, Chair of the Indian Community Centre said: "The aim of the conference was to show that the only way to deal with racist hate crime is to realise that we all have a role to play whether it is as individuals, as part of the wider community, statutory or voluntary sector groups or within government. Only when we act with a clear common purpose and mutually reinforce that hate crime will not be tolerated in our communities can we hope to begin to address the problem."

(BMcC/GK)