50 complaints made over PSNI handling of loyalist riots

The North's Police Ombudsman has received more than 50 complaints in relation to the PSNI's handling of recent loyalist violence in Belfast and surrounding areas.

The Ombudsman's office said the complaints had come from both sides of the community, with loyalists accusing the police of heavy-handedness and nationalists accusing them of failing to remove protestors who blocked roads for five consecutive days.

The loyalists have also accused inexperienced PSNI officers of provoking the three nights of riots that followed a re-routed Orange Order parade.

The PSNI has insisted that the use of petrol bombs, home-made grenades and live ammunition during the riots showed that they were pre-planned.

Meanwhile, the Police Ombudsman is also investigating the firing of several hundred plastic bullets and five live rounds by the PSNI during the loyalist violence.