Six PSNI officers arrested over suspected hate crime in Derry
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Version 0 of 1. Six members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland have been arrested in connection with an attack on three people at a resort town in County Derry. Two of those alleged to have been assaulted were foreign nationals and the PSNI is investigating whether the attack was a hate crime. The incident happened outside an off-licence in Portstewart on the northern coast. The alleged assault occurred early on Wednesday morning and eight people were arrested, a PSNI spokesperson said. Ch Supt Gary Eaton said the police were studying CCTV footage as part of the investigation. “I would encourage anyone who was in the area of Church Pass in Portstewart during the early hours of Wednesday and witnessed the altercation to contact detectives in Coleraine,” he said. The PSNI is investigating the alleged role of off-duty officers in the incident. “Discipline branch is also conducting an internal investigation and therefore it would not be appropriate for me to comment further however what I can say is that the Police Service of Northern Ireland expects its officers and staff to behave professionally, ethically and with the utmost integrity at all times,” Eaton said. “Any deviation from those standards is unacceptable and we are committed to ensuring that where officers and staff fail to maintain the high standards expected of them they are dealt with appropriately.” |