Post by RedFlag32 on May 24, 2007 20:09:10 GMT
The following is taken from the Strabane Chronicle @ www.strabanechronicle.com
PSNI officers 'can't live here'says IRSP
A LEADING IRSP man has said that anti-Agreement Republicans will not sit idly back and allow members of the PSNI to live in the community in Strabane. Willie Gallagher also said the PSNI is deluding itself if it thinks that young people from Nationalist areas such as Lisnafin, Ballycolman or Carlton Drive will join up following a weekend incident. He was reacting to a police raid on the home of an IRSP member in Strabane when armed officers with 'laser sight guns' broke down a door and marched his family outside. Events unfolded around 6am on…>>>more
PSNI officers 'can't live here,' says IRSP
A LEADING IRSP man has said that anti-Agreement Republicans will not sit idly back and allow members of the PSNI to live in the community in Strabane.
Willie Gallagher also said the PSNI is deluding itself if it thinks that young people from Nationalist areas such as Lisnafin, Ballycolman or Carlton Drive will join up following a weekend incident.
He was reacting to a police raid on the home of an IRSP member in Strabane when armed officers with 'laser sight guns' broke down a door and marched his family outside.
Events unfolded around 6am on Saturday morning when the local man heard banging at his front door and then shouts of "armed police".
He was confronted by balaclava- clad men armed with guns, bullet-proof shields, and accompanied by a dog. They were roaring and shouting and behaving aggressively.
Mr Gallagher has now called on Sinn Féin to say if it endorses this type of activity.
When the question was posed to Sinn Féin this week, MP Pat Doherty said, "This is an example of political policing at its worst and harks back to the worst excesses of the RUC. Sinn Féin support accountable and acceptable policing.
"What we do not support is bad, repressive, political policing and this operation combined with similar heavy-handed and sinister actions by the PSNI in Clady, Strabane and Dungannon in recent days, further highlights the need to hold the PSNI to account and Sinn Féin will not shy away from speaking out when we feel it necessary."
The MP added, "That is difference between ourselves and others who have been sitting on the Policing Board for years."
Willie Gallagher said he also had a question to ask of the PSNI.
"Do you think people in our community, young people from Carlton Drive, Lisnafin and Ballycolman, are going to join the PSNI whilst this is going on.
"If they do, they are seriously deluding themselves," he told the Chronicle.
"Anti-Agreement Republicans will not sit idly back and allow PSNI members to live in our community whilst this continues. Is this the type of behaviour that constitutes a new beginning to policing?"
The IRSP man, whose home was raided, spoke to the Strabane Chronicle this week. He prefers not to be named.
He said, "After they busted their way in, I opened the bedroom door and saw a red dot on the wall. My wife went downstairs first, when she got to the bottom of the stairs she was told to put her hands on her head and was marched backwards out of the front door. She was then manhandled outside.
"I then came downstairs and they did the same to me. They were roaring and shouting and red dots were trained on my face and on my chest.
"My 14 year old son came running down the stairs and a red light was trained on his chest. He was grabbed and made to the stand in the street."
The man said he and his wife and child were forced to stand barefoot in the street in the rain for some 20 minutes before landrovers arrived.
When those officers arrived and attempted to enter the house, the IRSP man claims that the armed unit also behaved aggressively refusing them access until they were finished.
He said he was given no explanation as to why the armed unit arrived at the house or what they were doing inside the house.
When the other officers arrived he was served with a search warrant under the anti-terrorist legislation to look for transmitters, scanners and receivers.
The man said, "My family were traumatised by this operation and the way in which it happened. In all the times that my house has been raided I have never seen anything like this before."
Mr Gallagher said the aggressive tactics of the search came as no surprise to him, adding that he has noticed a marked increase in surveillance and harassment of anti-Good Friday Agreement republicans since Sinn Fein signed up to policing.
He added, "I would ask Sinn Fein if this is the type of activity that they endorse."
Mr Gallagher said he personally had never been subjected to that type of raid.
When asked to respond to the aggressive nature of the raid the PSNI would only say, "The police did carry out a search of the premises at Summerhill Court as part of an investigation into serious crime. A search warrant was properly served."
A complaint is being lodged with the Police Ombudsman.
PSNI officers 'can't live here'says IRSP
A LEADING IRSP man has said that anti-Agreement Republicans will not sit idly back and allow members of the PSNI to live in the community in Strabane. Willie Gallagher also said the PSNI is deluding itself if it thinks that young people from Nationalist areas such as Lisnafin, Ballycolman or Carlton Drive will join up following a weekend incident. He was reacting to a police raid on the home of an IRSP member in Strabane when armed officers with 'laser sight guns' broke down a door and marched his family outside. Events unfolded around 6am on…>>>more
PSNI officers 'can't live here,' says IRSP
A LEADING IRSP man has said that anti-Agreement Republicans will not sit idly back and allow members of the PSNI to live in the community in Strabane.
Willie Gallagher also said the PSNI is deluding itself if it thinks that young people from Nationalist areas such as Lisnafin, Ballycolman or Carlton Drive will join up following a weekend incident.
He was reacting to a police raid on the home of an IRSP member in Strabane when armed officers with 'laser sight guns' broke down a door and marched his family outside.
Events unfolded around 6am on Saturday morning when the local man heard banging at his front door and then shouts of "armed police".
He was confronted by balaclava- clad men armed with guns, bullet-proof shields, and accompanied by a dog. They were roaring and shouting and behaving aggressively.
Mr Gallagher has now called on Sinn Féin to say if it endorses this type of activity.
When the question was posed to Sinn Féin this week, MP Pat Doherty said, "This is an example of political policing at its worst and harks back to the worst excesses of the RUC. Sinn Féin support accountable and acceptable policing.
"What we do not support is bad, repressive, political policing and this operation combined with similar heavy-handed and sinister actions by the PSNI in Clady, Strabane and Dungannon in recent days, further highlights the need to hold the PSNI to account and Sinn Féin will not shy away from speaking out when we feel it necessary."
The MP added, "That is difference between ourselves and others who have been sitting on the Policing Board for years."
Willie Gallagher said he also had a question to ask of the PSNI.
"Do you think people in our community, young people from Carlton Drive, Lisnafin and Ballycolman, are going to join the PSNI whilst this is going on.
"If they do, they are seriously deluding themselves," he told the Chronicle.
"Anti-Agreement Republicans will not sit idly back and allow PSNI members to live in our community whilst this continues. Is this the type of behaviour that constitutes a new beginning to policing?"
The IRSP man, whose home was raided, spoke to the Strabane Chronicle this week. He prefers not to be named.
He said, "After they busted their way in, I opened the bedroom door and saw a red dot on the wall. My wife went downstairs first, when she got to the bottom of the stairs she was told to put her hands on her head and was marched backwards out of the front door. She was then manhandled outside.
"I then came downstairs and they did the same to me. They were roaring and shouting and red dots were trained on my face and on my chest.
"My 14 year old son came running down the stairs and a red light was trained on his chest. He was grabbed and made to the stand in the street."
The man said he and his wife and child were forced to stand barefoot in the street in the rain for some 20 minutes before landrovers arrived.
When those officers arrived and attempted to enter the house, the IRSP man claims that the armed unit also behaved aggressively refusing them access until they were finished.
He said he was given no explanation as to why the armed unit arrived at the house or what they were doing inside the house.
When the other officers arrived he was served with a search warrant under the anti-terrorist legislation to look for transmitters, scanners and receivers.
The man said, "My family were traumatised by this operation and the way in which it happened. In all the times that my house has been raided I have never seen anything like this before."
Mr Gallagher said the aggressive tactics of the search came as no surprise to him, adding that he has noticed a marked increase in surveillance and harassment of anti-Good Friday Agreement republicans since Sinn Fein signed up to policing.
He added, "I would ask Sinn Fein if this is the type of activity that they endorse."
Mr Gallagher said he personally had never been subjected to that type of raid.
When asked to respond to the aggressive nature of the raid the PSNI would only say, "The police did carry out a search of the premises at Summerhill Court as part of an investigation into serious crime. A search warrant was properly served."
A complaint is being lodged with the Police Ombudsman.
