Increased Police Presence For Belfast

There is to be an increase in the number of police officers on patrol in Belfast this Christmas, the PSNI has confirmed.

It has said the move is to ensure the city remains safe and welcoming for those visiting during the festive period.

It is understood Christmas policing plan will include more plain-clothed officers, as well a vehicle checkpoints.

A year ago, a number of dissident republican attacks occurred in Belfast city centre, including an incident where a small bomb exploded in Cathedral Quarter. Another involved a car bomb near Victoria Square, which failed to detonate.

In a statement, Chief Superintendent Nigel Grimshaw said the PSNI would aim to provide reassurance for the public visiting the city, as well as deter those with ulterior motives.

He continued: "The wider security of the city is also something that we take very seriously."

"We have already initiated the phase of the Christmas Policing Plan that involves vehicle check-points being conducted on various roads around the city.

"I think Christmas is a very busy period and clearly the instances that happened last year around Christmas were significant and certainly grabbed the attention of the public.

"We take that on board, we have also seen the attacks that have happened just outside the city centre but in Belfast city over the last few weeks, so we constantly review our security profile."

He added that the police are also working with retailers to provide training on issues like fraud, shoplifting and security issues in the run up to Christmas.

(JP/MH)