This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/8219391.stm
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| PSNI chief defends roadblock move | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The police patrol who came across an armed roadblock in south Armagh were right to pull back, PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde has said. | |
| On Friday night up to seven masked men - six with machine guns and one with a rocket launcher - blocked a road in Meigh, near Newry. | |
| They distributed leaflets warning locals not to cooperate with the police or Sinn Fein. | They distributed leaflets warning locals not to cooperate with the police or Sinn Fein. |
| "It was just a stunt by a group trying to be relevant," said Sir Hugh Orde. | "It was just a stunt by a group trying to be relevant," said Sir Hugh Orde. |
| "I'm absolutely convinced they (the police patrol) took the right action when they came across it. | "I'm absolutely convinced they (the police patrol) took the right action when they came across it. |
| "This sort of activity will not put us off community policing and will not put the community off community policing." | "This sort of activity will not put us off community policing and will not put the community off community policing." |
| Sir Hugh, who steps down as chief constable on 1 September, said the road block would not put people off supporting the PSNI. | Sir Hugh, who steps down as chief constable on 1 September, said the road block would not put people off supporting the PSNI. |
| "We will continue to protect the communities as best we can, with their support and I know they will not let us down," he said. | "We will continue to protect the communities as best we can, with their support and I know they will not let us down," he said. |
| Mr Spence said the officers did "a magnificent job" | |
| "This organisation and this community is going in the right direction, these people will not prevent it, whatever they try to do." | "This organisation and this community is going in the right direction, these people will not prevent it, whatever they try to do." |
| Terry Spence, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, said the officers who pulled back from the road block on Friday night had done "a magnificent job". | |
| "They acted swiftly with very cool heads and they extricated themselves from the scene. Otherwise, I fear that they could have lost their lives." |