Government announces £4m to support PSNI following Belfast disorder
The Government has announced a £4 million emergency funding package for the Police Service of Northern Ireland to help cover the cost of policing last week’s public disorder, which followed a knife attack in north Belfast and spilled into several nights of rioting and racially motivated violence against ethnic minority households.
The funding, confirmed by Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, will go towards costs incurred by the PSNI during the disorder, including mutual aid support drafted in from other forces and overtime paid to officers across the period of unrest.
Benn was in Northern Ireland on the day of the announcement, meeting police and other emergency responders alongside community groups, volunteers and youth organisations involved in the response to the disorder.
Speaking ahead of those engagements, Benn said: “The horrific knife attack in North Belfast last week understandably caused profound concern and anger across Northern Ireland, and the rest of the UK. But we must be clear that the shocking scenes of racist violence that the world witnessed on our streets was not only unacceptable, but utterly shameful.
“The masked thugs who took part do not represent the vast majority of people across Northern Ireland who have worked long and hard to build a shared, peaceful future for all.
“There is no excuse and no justification for this violence, and those responsible will continue to face the full force of the law.
“Our most important duty as Government is to keep the public safe. This £4 million package demonstrates our commitment to supporting the PSNI given the significant challenges they faced in confronting the disorder in order to protect the community.”
The Northern Ireland Office has not published a breakdown of how the £4 million will be allocated.