Larne: Attacks on Catholics 'down to five a month'
Attacks on Catholics in one of Northern Ireland’s most sectarian towns have been slashed after a year-long security clampdown, a police chief said today.
Superintendent Tom Haylett, the district commander in Larne, Co Antrim, also praised loyalist representatives for cutting out a savage campaign of beatings and bombings.
He said: “We are making a serious impact, this time last year there were 40 attacks a month but now it is down to just five.”
Larne, a port town 20 miles north of Belfast, has gained an unenvied reputation as a sectarian black spot following a vicious campaign by the Ulster Defence Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force which many claim is focused on driving Catholics out.
Even though nationalists in the town continue to report low level attacks almost every weekend, only one serious incident has been reported this year when a family was burnt out of their home by petrol bombers.
As he set out his blueprint for the town as part of the police service of Northern Ireland’s plans across each of its 29 District Command Units, Superintendent Haylett said he believed the terrorists were trying to end the violence.
Although the UDA is suspected of murdering missing rogue member Alan McCullough as part of an internal feud, its affiliated Ulster Political Research Group announced a 12-month cease fire by the terror organisation earlier this year.
And the Larne commander claimed tensions in the town have now eased.
He said: “In fairness to the UDA or the UPRG they are making a concerted effort to try and get their act together.
“The UVF has been just as bad but paramilitaries across the board are making a big effort from what I can see to try and normalise their behaviour.
“This has been due to tough policing and the realisation on their part that they have been part of the problem here in Larne and now they need to be part of the solution.”
Danny O’Conner, a Larne councillor with the nationalist SDLP who has spoken out continuously about the town’s sectarian problems, backed Superintendent Haylett’s efforts but stressed more needed to be done.
He said: “It wouldn’t even be acceptable if there was just one attack a month. There is still people being driven out of their homes and yes police have made efforts to tackle the issue but now is not a time to rest on their laurels.
“The reason Catholics aren’t getting beat up on the streets and in the pubs is because they are not walking the streets or going into bars.
“If you are fighting Lennox Lewis and he knocks you down time and time again sooner or later you are going to stay on your stool and not come back out again. That’s what happening with Catholics in Larne.”
Mr O’Conner praised Superintendent Haylett, who he said had tried to take the culprits off the streets.
He added: “He had been forthright in calling a spade a spade rather than a long-handled digging implement.
“But I’m not prepared to accept that five attacks a month is okay. It isn’t.”
