TUV leader Jim Allister slams disproportionate policing undermining unionist confidence in the PSNI

Earlier this week the PSNI were forced to admit they had lied to mediators and unionist political and community representatives about their intention to invade unionist bonfire sites. The embarrassing admission came after a confidential report prepared for Belfast City Council and which revealed the shocking scale of their involvement in pursuing the needlessly aggressive invasion of east Belfast, was leaked. Their aggressive targeting of the unionist community was done against the wishes of the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service, independent mediators and the Department for Infrastructure.

Unionist Voice can exclusively reveal the contents of a letter sent to the TUV leader by Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd.

Upon receipt of the correspondence from ACC Todd, Mr Allister released the following statement:

“More than two months after writing to the PSNI about the issue they have conceded to me that the scale of the police operations in East Belfast to deal with bonfires was “broadly as described” in a letter in which I challenged them on the issue. They have also singularly failed to address my concerns about how they dealt with attacks on Protestants in Londonderry around the same time.

“In my letter I advised how I was in receipt of reports that over 40 Land Rovers and 200 officers were deployed in East Belfast to deal with a situation relating to a bonfire. I went on to contrast this with events in Londonderry where Protestants had come under attack from petrol bombers. I cited the example of the night of the 8th July and pointed out that there is evidence of thugs approaching the Fountain area in broad daylight in a repeat performance of what had happened on previous nights and being able to stone the area without a police officer in sight.

“I went on to observe that there appeared to a clearly unequal response by the PSNI and this was undermining confidence in the police among many in the Unionist community.

“To be advised more than two months later that the PSNI deployed resources in Londonderry in line with “policing with the community ethos” while no such comment is made about what happened in East Belfast is extremely telling.

“The PSNI – it would appear – did what Sinn Fein and their front groups told them to do when it came to policing attacks on the minority community in Londonderry. What a contrast with East Belfast!”