South and East Belfast Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

PSNI challenged to do more to tackle interface issues

Published: 24 April, 2009

East Belfast Sinn Féin representative Niall Ó Donnghaile has said that Sinn Féin is continuing to challenge the PSNI to take a more pro-active approach to tackle the anti-social problems associated with interfaces in the East Belfast area.


Mr Ó Donnghaile said,

"There has been an ongoing problem of anti-social behaviour around interface areas in East Belfast. While the community has some responsibility to tackle this problem, the feedback that I have been getting from community workers is that the PSNI have been shirking their responsibilities in this regard, in effect leaving all of the work to community workers to deal with.


"This is an untenable position. The reality is that the PSNI have a central role to play in tackling anti-social behaviour.


"I am pleased then that, after being challenged on this issue by local community workers and Sinn Féin members at a meeting yesterday, the PSNI have committed themselves to being more pro-active in dealing with this issue.


"Among the commitments given were that they would implement their interface strategy and ensure that their Neighbourhood Teams put a focus on interface areas. In addition to this the PSNI also stated that they have identified a key number of young people from both sides of the community who have been involved in this anti-social behaviour, and they will be taking pro-active steps to deal with them".


Mr Ó Donnghaile concluded,

"If the PSNI are to win the confidence of the people then they must be pro-active in dealing with the issues which affect the community. With regard to anti-social behaviour at interfaces there was a feeling among the community that the PSNI had not been doing their job. I am pleased that the PSNI have committed themselves to being more pro-active in this case".

CRÍOCH