Sixth night of "senseless and reckless" violence in Londonderry
It is alleged that children as young as 12 were involved
Last updated 5th Apr 2021
Police officers have been "pelted with petrol bombs and masonry" in Londonderry on Easter Sunday evening, in another night of disorder.
The PSNI said the "criminal behaviour" kicked off at about 9pm in the Waterside area.
Children as young as 12 are suspected to have been involved in the activity, which also included obstructing the road with flaming pallets.
Although it has not been confirmed if any officers were injured in last night's disruption, on Saturday (which was night five of violence) 12 officers were injured by a large group throwing masonry, bottles, petrol bombs and fireworks.
Speaking about Easter's events, Derry City and Strabane Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Darrin Jones branded the scenes as "unacceptable".
"Again, we saw our officers targeted, pelted with petrol bombs and masonry in the Dungiven Road area where pallets were placed on the road and set alight. This saw the main road closed for a time, causing disruption for local drivers," he said.
"Thankfully, last night none of our officers were injured as they worked to bring the disorder to an end.
"I will reiterate our disappointment that we had another night of senseless and reckless criminal behaviour that achieves nothing but cause damage to the community. It is also shocking that some of those involved in last night's disorder were children, some as young as 12 years old along with others up to 18 years old and a mix of male and females.
"It is totally unacceptable, and it is crucial we send out a message to those responsible that such behaviour cannot be tolerated.
"People deserve to feel safe within their own homes and be able to walk the streets without fear.
"I am again asking all those in our community with influence to use that influence so we do not see any further disgraceful scenes of violence on our streets and ensure young people do not get caught up in criminality and that they are kept safe and away from harm."
“My job is to keep people safe and I will continue to work alongside local representatives, partner agencies and members of the community to address any issues. I would appeal to everyone in the area to help diffuse any local tensions and prevent any further incidents.”