Rasharkin - 'Safety of community was paramount say Police

A POLICE chief said community safety was paramount on Friday night when a decision was taken to allow the Rasharkin parade to go ahead along a reverse route.

A PSNI statement on Saturday said: "Police would once again like to thank the people of Rasharkin and everyone involved in last night's parade and protest for their patience during what became a very difficult and frustrating policing operation where the safety of the community was paramount."

Chief Inspector Ryan Henderson said: "Dedicated work had gone on behind the scenes by parade and protest organisers and community leaders in the run-up to last night's parade to reduce the likelihood of tensions and disorder and this feeling of goodwill was evident in the early evening.

"However due to the actions of irresponsible individuals intent on increasing tensions and division who deliberately placed a suspicious object in the area knowing full well the disruption and difficulties this would cause, the parade was postponed for a period of time.

"As the safety of everyone in the area was our first priority, the decision was taken that it was in the best interests of everyone to allow the parade to proceed along the route in reverse. This gave more time to ensure that the device would be made safe and reduced the even greater delay that would have resulted if the original direction of the parade has been used.

"This was a practical solution to a problem that was not of the making of the parade organisers or the residents group.

"The parade passed largely without major incident. A brief attempt to halt the parade was quickly dealt with and the parade able to pass. No arrests were made on the evening. A dedicated team has been set up to examine footage collected by our video evidence teams and any disorder captured on that footage will be dealt with.

"We look forward to continuing to work closely with the whole community of Rasharkin in the future to address any issues of concern. It is crucial that people continue to engage in dialogue and find long-term acceptable solutions to local issues," said Mr Henderson.

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