LAST UPDATE | 8 Aug
THE PSNI HAS released images of six people they want to speak to in connection with recent disorder and attacks on officers in Belfast.
Rioting erupted in Belfast on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday evenings following anti-immigration protests.
Police and members of the public were attacked and two businesses owned by people from a minority ethnic background were destroyed in south Belfast. There have also been incidents in north and west Belfast.
There was further disorder last night, with police coming under attack in east Belfast.
In a statement this evening, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said that over recent days, “there were a number of people who were intent on causing incidents of disorder and attacking property, the public and police officers”.
He said the PSNI is committed to identifying those involved and that police “will be relentless in our pursuit in order to bring these offenders before the Courts”.
Images of the six individuals can be viewed here.
Beck said the PSNI will use “all lawful means, tactics or tools at our disposal to gather evidence and arrest those involved in this criminality”.
He added: “By releasing these images I am hopeful that the wider community will help us identify these individuals.
“It is in everybody’s interest – as well as in the interest of justice – that those responsible are dealt with appropriately and I would urge anyone who may have any information to bring it forward.”
Beck encouraged the people in the photos to contact police directly and remarked that this will “minimise the impact on themselves, their family and their community”.
He also appealed to anyone who may be able to identify any of these individuals or to provide any information on them to contact detectives at Musgrave Police Station.
Information can also be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Some 22 people have been arrested so far and Beck said further arrests will be made.
Of this, 15 have been charged and four of these 15 are due to appear at Belfast Magistrates Court tomorrow.
Four of these arrests have been as a direct result of being identified as part of the PSNI’s evidence gathering operation.
A Major Incident Public Portal has been established for people to submit information, images and footage.
This can be shared with police through the Major Incident Public Portal here.
Beck added that the disorder seen in Belfast since Saturday “have been a disgrace and have no place in Northern Ireland”.
Meanwhile, the PSNI has said it is aware of planned protest activity throughout Northern Ireland tomorrow.
An anti-immigration protest is planned outside Belfast City Hall tomorrow evening, as is a counter anti-racism protest.
Queen’s University Belfast will close its campus tomorrow and its public facilities will also close as a precautionary measure to ensure staff and students travelling to and from campus are not put at any risk.
A spokesperson said the official PSNI social media channels will be kept up to date with the latest advice on planned protests and that a significant policing operation will be in place.
The PSNI spokesperson also advised anyone “engaging in protest” to remember that they must follow the instructions of police, respect the rights of others and refrain from blocking roadways or footpaths.
“If you participate in disorder, you risk getting arrested,” added the PSNI spokesperson, who said the penalties for being involved in serious disorder “can be very high, with rioting carrying a maximum sentence of ten years in prison”.
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