Rival gangs riot again in Ardoyne Road area

Rioting broke out again in north Belfast yesterday with rival gangs of youths confronting each other in the Ardoyne Road area…

Rioting broke out again in north Belfast yesterday with rival gangs of youths confronting each other in the Ardoyne Road area. Stones and ball bearings were thrown. Police moved in and the area was reported quiet but tense by 6 p.m.

The fresh outbreak of violence follows an announcement by the PSNI that a dedicated squad is being established to counter the violence that has scarred parts of north Belfast for the past year.

Additional CCTV cameras are to be installed and the team of eight officers under Chief Supt Julie Lindsay will study pictures of those involved in rioting to establish who the ringleaders are.

Some 18 cameras, including two already positioned following serious riots in the area in January, will operate by the summer. Another weekend of rioting by rival gangs left four police officers and a soldier injured, bringing the total since last June to 603.

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One officer is in a serious condition in hospital after being struck by a car which was driven at him when he was on riot duty and dragged him 250 yards. Another officer received her injuries when rioters stormed a police vehicle and tried to drag her from it.