DID anyone hear former District Policing Partnership member and Ulster Unionist MLA Michael Copeland on BBC Newsline? After a PSNI raid to seize counterfeit goods in East Belfast, he accused the police of being heavy-handed. NEVER have I heard anyone in the UUP sound so like a member of Sinn Fein after any raid in the West of the city. DUP councillor Harry Toan minimised the impact of the alleged crime too (click ‘More’). What fantastic leadership!Copeland said: “We had …
AS more women join the male-dominated bastion of the police service, one top female cop launches a scheme to combat sexism and strengthen female representation in the PSNI. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
It is reported in the Irish News that as part of the drive to increase Garda numbers by 2,000, the requirement for Irish may be dropped in order to allow more diversity.“The age limit of 26 for recruits will be reviewed, as well as the Irish language requirement for immigrants who wish to join the force. Mr McDowell said he wanted a “special accommodation” to facilitate Irish residents from different backgrounds.” Initial reaction from Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty has been …
POLICE have launched an investigation into the major fire in Belfast city centre yesterday that gutted several listed buildings. No doubt they will be talking to the gentleman from South Belfast they arrested last week while persistently squatting in the derelict upper floors of buildings in Wellington Place, where a number of fires have been started by someone recently. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
“Overall accountability and governance structures have shown themselves to be effective, with the PSNI and other bodies driving improvements forward despite the lack of full community support.” – That’s the view of the Police Oversight Commissioner, Al Hutchinson. He went on to say that “The lack of support is really the key barrier to deep change. Those who resist or deny change should understand that the absence of full community support will only impede the necessary reforms, which in turn …
Rumour has reached us that one of the assailants in a recent gun attack also managed to put himself into hospital by shooting himself in the ‘privates’ during the get away! For those less familiar with recent events in Belfast, there has been a low level conflict rising between rival Loyalist paramilitaries over the last few weeks. For background, see here. Anyone familiar with the plot line of Colin Bateman’s novel and subsequent film, ‘Divorcing Jack’, or Martin Lynch’s early …
Extraordinary headline, but one borne out by this study for the BBC. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
