A protest against an Orange Order parade through North Belfast led to some of the worst rioting seen in the area for years on 12 July 2001.
Two Orange lodges and a band from the Ligoniel area had been given permission by the Parades Commission to parade to and from the main 12th of July demonstration in South Belfast via the Woodvale and Crumlin roads. The route took the parade past the Ardoyne shops 'flashpoint', an interface between Loyalist and Nationalist areas.
The outward morning parade by the Orangemen passed off peacefully, but large numbers of people had gathered in the area to await the parade's return that evening. Serious public disorder developed when police intervened as protesters attempted to block the road.
Rioting continued from about 6pm until after 3am, during which police came under violent attack in the Estoril Park, Brompton Park, Balholme Drive, Cranbrook Court and Ardoyne Road areas.
In total more than 100 officers were injured, some seriously, as protesters attacked police lines with bricks, bottles, petrol bombs, acid bombs, stones and planks of wood. During the trouble, police discharged a total of 46 baton rounds and used water cannon to help disperse the crowds.
More than 60 petrol bombs were reported as having been thrown during one of the most intense periods of the rioting between 8.42pm and 10.20pm. 21 officers were injured during this time, including one officer who was set alight. An officer had also earlier been injured when he was struck by a protester armed with an axe.
At 8.51pm a masked person drove a car, which had been set alight, towards the police. An officer fired a baton round at the car, cracking the windscreen and forcing the person to abandon the vehicle. It subsequently stopped short of police.
Rioting again intensified after 11pm, and police reported that 16 petrol bombs had been thrown in the Estoril Park and Ardoyne Road areas within a period of five minutes. A further 48 petrol bombs were thrown before midnight. A nearby petrol station was also broken into and set alight during this period.
Although trouble continued, authority to deploy and use baton guns was withdrawn at 12.07am. Permission to use the water cannon was granted when nine petrol bombs were thrown in the Brompton Park/Alliance Avenue area between 1am and 1.26am.
Outcome of Investigation:
During their investigation, Police Ombudsman investigators reviewed a broad range of evidence -including police documentation, police, military and broadcast video recordings, and security force radio recordings. They were also briefed about the operation by senior police officers, and contacted the three main hospitals in the area.
Having reviewed all available evidence, the Police Ombudsman's Executive Director, David Wood, concluded that "taking into account the level and extent of violence directed at the police and the large scale of disorder, police showed great restraint in the use of force and the baton rounds discharged."
There were widely publicised claims by various political representatives that the disorder was as a result of police officers assaulting persons acting as 'unofficial stewards'. Despite this claim only one complaint alleging an assault of this type was lodged with this office and no independent evidence of this has been discovered,"he said.
The ferocity of this attack would indicate some degree of preparation on behalf of the rioters. Attempts to quell this disturbance using water cannon, although initially successful, ultimately proved insufficient. It is also clear that at one stage police attempted to withdraw from Estoril Park but were pursued by a riotous mob."
The use of baton rounds during this incident was lawful, justified and proportionate, complying with legislation, guidelines and aspects of human rights legislation."
Recommendations to police as a result of the Police Ombudsman's investigation:
The Police Ombudsman recommended that, as a matter of urgency, the PSNI should consider the training and appointment of Post Incident Officers to help prevent delays in officers making statements after incidents. This role is common in other police forces.
The Police Ombudsman noted that there had been significant delays in obtaining relevant information from the PSNI - apparently due to a breakdown in communication between different sections of the police. David Wood noted that at the time of forwarding the report the Ombudsman's office had still not received all the relevant reports from baton gunners. "This problem needs to be addressed," he stated.
The Police Ombudsman also noted that while baton gunners should operate with an assistant, the vast majority of gunners on the night in question were not allocated assistants. While recognising that any police operation can be restricted by the availability of a finite number of qualified specialists, the Police Ombudsman pointed out that such assistants play a crucial role in keeping accurate records of events. She urged that police commanders, whenever possible, should attempt to fully comply with the terms of the force policy and order by providing assistants for all baton gunners.