More closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance may be introduced in the North to try and identify rioters in north Belfast, it emerged today.
Northern Ireland Security Minister Ms Jane Kennedy announced proposals to extend the scheme following some of the worst sectarian violence in the city in years.
Further CCTV units could be installed in trouble spots if a system introduced in the Ardoyne district of the city yielded results, she said.
"If this system proves successful there is the potential for a wider application across north Belfast and I fully intend to keep a careful eye on the effect the camera has on the security situation in this area," Ms Kennedy said.
"It's my hope it will prove so effective in helping police to manage the situation that we will find it will have uses elsewhere".
Temporary surveillance cameras had been mounted at the top of a secured pole in the Ardoyne, close to where rioting linked to the Holy Cross Primary School dispute erupted last year.
Pictures are monitored from a north Belfast police station which Ms Kennedy visited today.
The move comes as a poster campaign depicting 30 people suspected of serious rioting in the city begins to bear fruit. Ms Kennedy dismissed concerns that those on the posters from both nationalist and loyalist communities may have had their human rights infringed.
PA