UUP 'astonished' at PSNI loyalists behind attacks claim

Senior UUP officials have said they are "astonished" by Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Alan McQuillan's "biased" assessment that loyalist paramilitaries have been behind the majority of Belfast's recent street violence.

ACC McQuillan made his comments to the Police Board yesterday when in reply to a question from the SDLP's Alex Attwood.

Last night, the party accused ACC McQuillan of "biased, ill-considered and incorrect comments" in his assessment. Countering Mr McQuillan's statement Sir Reg Empey said that 18 out of 22 families had been forced from homes in Cluan Place after repeated sectarian attacks, and five people have been shot in east Belfast by republicans since June.

Tim Lemon, the UUP’s constituency Chairman in east Belfast added: "My colleagues and I have worked tirelessly to persuade local residents to put their trust in the PSNI and not retaliate.

"Our efforts have been frustrated by the senior command of the PSNI showing a reluctance to police the Short Strand and their apparent inability to stop or control republican attacks."

"ACC McQuillan’s biased, ill-considered and incorrect comments asserting loyalists have been responsible for most of the violence in Belfast will have reinforced peoples fears the senior command of the PSNI is afraid of the republican movement and does not wish to confront it.

UUP councillor Michael Copeland said that he had catalogued numerous unprovoked attacks on Cluan Place over the past three weeks.

"We have not been afraid to record retaliation by Protestants when it has happened and we do not pretend that retaliation has not occurred. But the bulk of the attacks have been from republicans and we are disappointed that ACC McQuillan has made his inflammatory comments despite the First Minister passing our log to the Acting Chief Constable Colin Cramphorn.

"He must neither have read nor cared about the sustained and unprovoked attacks on Protestants in east Belfast we have diligently and without favour recorded in difficult and dangerous circumstances’.

Speaking yesterday's Policing Board meeting, SDLP Policing Board Member Alex Atwood said: “The need to protect vulnerable communities is essential, as is the need to vigorously pursue those from any background responsible for threat and terror. It is also important to inform community opinion accurately as to which organisations are responsible and to what degree.

"That was the importance of what senior PSNI commanders did at the Policing Board today. It was stated clearly that the majority of paramilitary violence is being organised by loyalist paramilitaries. All other paramilitaries have their own responsibility but this acknowledgement will build confidence.”

(GMcG)