North Belfast residents left feeling 'on edge' following sectarian attack
Following a meeting between the affected families, police and community representatives on Sunday, independent councillor Paul McCusker said most families want to stay, but "no one can guarantee their safety".
McCusker said there was a lack of political leadership in the area."There is a lot of frustration felt over the weekend, police said they would commit to a static police presence over the weekend but families felt that wasn't the case."The police attending a meeting on Sunday was very important, he added."For the remaining families, protection is key to keep them safe so there is no further risk to their lives and moving forward we need to look at a long term plan," he said.
McCusker explained that many of the families living in the area have been homeless for many years."They have been through a system that has been quite difficult for them and to go back into that system again and be treated this way is causing trauma to the families," he said.McCusker added: "It is 2025 this should not be happening and the families should be getting reassurance politically."PSNI Supt Allister Hagan said: "We are treating what happened in these residential areas not just as criminal damage, but sectarian-motivated hate crime - which is totally unacceptable."This will not be tolerated. We will continue to work closely with our partners, housing provider, community representatives and local residents in relation to these issues."Police have been "regularly patrolling these areas at varying intervals to deter crime and provide reassurance to the community," Supt Hagan added. "In addition, we have been meeting with residents regularly to listen to their concerns and offer practical support."
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