Sinn Fein meet police over man's arrest

Editorial Department Catriona Loughran - 1503 • Published 13 Aug 2009 09:00

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Sinn Fein are to hold urgent talks with Fermanagh PSNI tomorrow (Friday) over recent police activity and the arrest of one of its members in Newtownbutler a fortnight ago.

Damian Johnston from Aghagay Park was arrested by members of the PSNI's Tactical Support Group that were deployed as a result of Fermanagh's Royal Black Preceptory anniversary church parade held in the town.

Mr Johnston, who is 34, was in town with his brother and girlfriend when he was stopped and searched by PSNI officers.

He claimed they allegedly told him "We can f**king search you at any time" and he further alleged he was pushed twice in the chest before he was arrested.

He also claimed they were verbally abusive to his girlfriend and has since made a complaint to the Police Ombudsman.

Party colleagues believe he and many others have been the target of TSGs ever since the loyalist band parades of July 3 when activists intervened to restore calm and to prevent young people from clashing with the police.

Sinn Fein Councillor Thomas O'Reilly described his arrest as "unlawful harrassment".

"This young man has been a target of the TSG ever since July 3 as they possibly witnessed him among the crowds and they told him on Sunday night that they could arrest him under section 44 of the Terrorism Act even though he had done nothing wrong. They grabbed him, put him up against the wall to search him and then arrested him and held him in Enniskillen PSNI station for a number of hours before they finally released him," he said.

The Erne East Councillor who collected him from the PSNI station said there was a heavy-handed police presence in Newtownbutler on Sunday night.

"Up to 60 or 70 PSNI officers were in town on Sunday night and there was up to 200 at the loyalist band parades on July 3. This is outrageous given the fact that a robbery occurred in the town on July 4 and you couldn't find one them for 12 hours. This heavy-handed police activity is seriously damaging to cross-community relations and community policing. People are at pains in this town to try and development relationships with the police, which was voiced by locals at a recent meeting, but these tactics have done nothing to further that."

These "worrying trends" in the policing of Nationalist areas will be expressed by Sinn Fein at Friday's meeting.

Councillor O'Reilly along with party chairman in Fermanagh Sean Lynch and Michelle Gildernew MP MLA will meet with District Commander Michael Skuce and Chief Inspector Graham Dodds at Enniskillen Townhall to-day(Thursday).

Ms Gildernew said there was growing evidence in many areas of Fermanagh that the PSNI were failing to live up to the standards expected of a professional and accountable police service.

"We see that an area like Newtownbutler is left without any effective community police presence. This seems to be deliberate and based on the flimsiest of excuses. This is of particular concern following the arrest at the weekend of a member of our Party, and the deployment of a Tactical Support Unit in the area".

She stated that the lack of a proper police response to the recent theft of a TMA machine in Newtownbutler had been "pitiful" and that the behaviour of some members of the PSNI during the recent Orange marches was "reminiscent of the old and discredited RUC".

In response to the arrest a police spokeswoman said "A man was arrested in Newtownbutler on Sunday August 2. A complaint has been made to the Police Ombudsman in relation to this matter so it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 13 Aug 09

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