Police call for new tactics to stop rioters

Many Northern police officers "could die" unless new tactics are introduced to help police clear rioters off the streets at flash points in North Belfast, the British government has been warned today.

With nearly 700 officers injured in disturbances since the start of the summer, this is the price being paid to keep rival Protestant and Catholic factions apart.

Northern Ireland Police Federation Chairman Jimmy Spratt has stated that the current conditions officers are being subjected to are "scandalous" and that "officers are being used as cannon fodder".

Mr Spratt has called for a review of how public order is handled in the north, with new protocols to be agreed to among the police, Police Ombudsman and the Commission on Human Rights.