Speaking at a media facility at Police Service of Northern Ireland headquarters in Belfast today, Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones condemned the "horrendous scenes" witnessed on the streets of Belfast in recent days.
"There’s been violence, racist assaults, damage to property and racist slurs unashamedly uttered on our streets. Last night also saw a man in his 50s brutally attacked by a mob. Witnesses reported seeing his attackers stamp on his head as other decent members of the public attempted to shield him from further attack. His condition is described as serious and we are treating his attack as a hate crime. This is not who we are as a society and the majority of our citizens are rightly appalled by this behaviour.
"We have a significant dedicated team working at pace to bring those responsible for this disorder to justice and to engage with those communities affected. Police trained in public order have a range of tactical options at their disposal in order to keep the public and themselves safe, which includes the use of both the water cannon and Attenuating Energy Projectiles rounds - as the situation requires or as is deemed appropriate. Our water cannon capability is available for deployment if required.”
Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones continued: “I have no doubt there is a paramilitary element to this but I am not in a position to say that this is the main organiser or orchestrator of these events. However, we do keep an open mind to this and this will be part of our investigatory strategy.
"We have set up a Major Incident Public Portal for people to submit information, images and footage. Photos and footage, including CCTV, mobile phone or dash cam footage, can be shared with police through the Major Incident Public Portal at Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)
"We urge anyone with information to come forward. One teenage male was arrested last night and our Public Order Enquiry Team will continue to review footage to attempt to identify those involved, as well as those organising and orchestrating this disorder. As with any investigative process, the Police Service will follow the evidence and present it to the Public Prosecution Service.
"I appeal for calm over the coming days and I’d like to acknowledge and thank all of our officers and staff who have been involved in our policing response to this recent disorder on the streets of Belfast. I would especially pay tribute to those on the frontline, who display unwavering commitment to keeping communities safe in the face of despicable violence levelled towards them."