Two men arrested by armed police squad in potato field

The men, who are understood to be brothers, found themselves face down in the dirt at gunpoint on Saturday September 23. The pair were detained by police who believed they entered the field to steal spuds.

However the PSNI squad was not in the area to protect the potato fields. Instead, they were in the vicinity because of increased dissident republican activity, with a number of bids made recently to force people to ferry explosive devices to Strand Road police station. Earlier that night there were reports of a van being hijacked at High Park.

A PSNI spokeswoman said: “Two men in their 50s were arrested by police in the area of Creevagh Road on November 23rd on suspicion of theft offences. Both men were interviewed by police and released on bail pending further enquiries.