Spratt welcomes creation of Holyland special police team

South Belfast DUP MLA and NI Policing Board Member Jimmy Spratt has welcomed the creation of a special police team to investigates disturbances in the Holyland area of South Belfast on St. Patrick’s Day.

 

Commenting, Mr. Spratt said:

 

‘The scenes witnessed on St. Patrick’s Day must never be seen again and as such I welcome the creation of a dedicated special police team to investigate the disturbances. However, it is sad that this measure has had to be taken at a time when police resources are needed to tackle the current security threat posed by dissident republicans.  

 

Now that this team has been established I and the community that I represent want to see firm action taken against those involved. I have written to the four main academical institutions whose students live in the area, namely Queen’s University, the University of Ulster, St. Mary’s College and the Belfast Metropolitan College, urging them to study all available media footage and take decisive action against those who can be identified. Anyone involved should be firmly dealt with by the law of the land and the disciplinary procedures of these institutions. Such an approach will hopefully deter anyone wishing to repeat the scenes witnessed on St. Patrick’s Day.

 

It is time to deal with this problem once and for all. The community cannot live under siege, under threat and under constant intimidation by unruly students. The universities must expel those found guilty and send out a message that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated.’