Marching season "most difficult"

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The 2009 Northern Ireland marching season was the "most difficult" in recent history, independent security reviewer Robert Whalley has said.

Mr Whalley monitors the operation of the Justice and Security Act (NI) 2007.

He observed the policing and handling of parades and watched CCTV coverage of rioting at Ardoyne in north Belfast.

"Others will have their own views on parading activity this year, but my own judgement is that it has been the most difficult in the recent past," he said.

"The violence which took place in the Ardoyne on the evening of 13 July, and over the succeeding two nights, was the worst seen in Belfast for several years, and there was trouble in Armagh, Lurgan, Rasharkin and Strabane.

"There were also incidents in Londonderry on 8 August.

"But the Ardoyne violence was not on the scale of the violence there in 2004 or the Whiterock disturbances of 2005."

He said that thousands of parades took place without incident and the reflected "great credit" on all those involved.

INDEPENDENT REVIEWER REPORT <a class="" href="http://www.nio.gov.uk/second_report_of_the_independent_reviewer_of_the_justice_and_security_(northern_ireland)_act_2007.pdf">Read the report here</a>

He said that while police managed to control the parading season without the need for Army support "military assets" based in England with public order training were available as a back-up.

He said that the "assessment had not yet this year reached the point where such an option could be totally ruled out".

Mr Whalley said that helicopter flying remained a contentious issue and complaints were up 46% to 124 compared to 85 in 2008.

He said that the low-level training was as essential skill for air crew being sent overseas, mainly to Afghanistan, and that they had "avoid" lists.

"Avoiding causing nuisance is a key consideration for the crew, but it is not the main point of their training, which is to prepare them for the challenges in much more hostile theatres overseas," he said.

He the military should give "further consideration to making available as much advance information as possible about planned helicopter flights".