A confrontation between rival Nationalist and Loyalist crowds at North Queen Street, Belfast, on 30 March 2002 led to severe rioting by Nationalist elements later that afternoon.
Police and army units attended the scene at about 2.25pm at which stage rival crowds of youths, numbering between 60 and 80 people in total, were throwing stones, bottles and other missiles at each other.
At 2.32pm police units separated the two groups, after which the Loyalist element moved away. The Nationalist crowd, however, did not disperse and their numbers began to increase, with whistles being used to summon additional people to the area.
To prevent the Nationalist crowd entering the Loyalist area, police formed a human and vehicle cordon across North Queen Street. Shortly after the cordon was in place it came under a heavy and sustained barrage of bottles, bricks and other missiles thrown by the Nationalist crowd, most of whom were apparently under 16 years of age.
Meanwhile, police received reports of attempts by rioters to hijack vehicles, and of rioters attempting to puncture the tyres of police vehicles using planks of wood spiked with nails.
By 3pm the situation had escalated, with rioters reportedly calling for "petrol" and adult males joining the crowd, which had swelled to more than 150 people.
Concerned at the worsening situation, the senior police officer at the scene sought authorisation to deploy baton guns. However, the relevant Assistant Chief Constable, whose permission was required, was not readily available. Unable, therefore, to deploy baton guns, officers were directed to drive their Land Rovers towards the crowd with their lights flashing and sirens sounding. Two such runs were carried out in a bid to disperse the crowd, and police and military personnel also carried out a baton charge. Both tactics, however, had limited success as the crowd quickly regrouped.
At 3.13pm a hijacked van emerged from Spamount Street and was driven towards the security force cordon. The van contained two masked males and was on fire. As the vehicle approached the cordon, the two males jumped out and the van careered on towards police lines, eventually crashing into a military vehicle.
In view of the deteriorating situation, permission was again sought to deploy baton rounds. The senior officer at the scene was granted permission if he deemed it necessary.
At 3.27pm a warning was delivered to the crowd via a PA system that baton guns would be used if the rioting did not stop. The warning went unheeded and a short time later a bucket of petrol was thrown over the bonnet of a police Land Rover. This was followed by a petrol bomb which struck the vehicle and set it alight.
Officers were authorised to use baton rounds five minutes later, when a barrage of stones and petrol bombs was directed at police lines. The senior officer at the location judged that other methods of dispersing the crowd had failed and the rioting was intensifying.
Four baton rounds were discharged at identified targets within the next ten minutes. The first was aimed at a male who police reported to have been armed with a lit petrol bomb. The round missed its target and struck a garden wall behind. This person was also targeted three minutes later, when a baton round was reported to have struck him on the foot.
Another person was struck on the right thigh. Police reported that he had just thrown a petrol bomb. He was also identified as the person who had thrown the bucket of petrol onto a police Land Rover. The fourth baton round was aimed at another person, reported by officers to have been armed with a lit petrol bomb, but missed its target.
Rioting continued for another 20 minutes or so after the baton discharges, at which stage a local Assembly Member arrived at the scene and advised that if police relocated a short distance away, he would attempt to calm the rioters.
Police agreed to the request, allowing community representatives to speak to the crowd, which began to disperse without further trouble.
The Police Ombudsman received one complaint from a member of the public following the disturbances. A young female alleged that she had been struck on the leg by a baton round. She said she had been making her way to a local supermarket when she encountered the rioting. While she was in the area, the crowd seemed to panic with people running off in all directions.
As she herself turned to run, she said she felt something strike her on the lower left leg. She limped to a nearby wall where she pulled up her trouser leg to find an impression which she described as a big purple circle. Another person in the crowd told her it had been caused by “a plastic bullet”. The girl later attended the Royal Victoria Hospital after complaining of pain in her leg.
During their investigation of the girl's complaint and the discharge of the baton rounds, Police Ombudsman investigators reviewed police CCTV footage of the situation and recordings of police radio transmissions. The police firearms register was also examined to determine the number of baton rounds allocated to each baton gunner, and training records were examined to establish whether those officers who had discharged baton rounds had been properly trained to do so.
Police Ombudsman investigators also interviewed police officers and witnesses, and reviewed police logbooks and decision logs relating to the situation.
Outcome of investigation:
In her report on the incident, the Police Ombudsman, Mrs Nuala O'Loan, noted that nine police officers and one soldier (who was knocked unconscious and received a broken nose) had been injured during the rioting, and several police vehicles damaged.
"In taking into account all the circumstances and evidence in this case it would appear that the use of force was proportionate, within legislation and guidelines necessary to prevent serious injury, and in accordance with Force instructions and training.," said Mrs O'Loan.
"The video evidence confirms that the security forces showed great restraint in what was an extremely violent confrontation during which in excess of forty petrol bombs were thrown.
"The Office of the Police Ombudsman received full co-operation in their investigation from the Police Service of Northern Ireland."
The Police Ombudsman added that there was no evidence of criminal or misconduct offences against any officer involved in the situation.
In relation to the complaint from the young girl who suffered a leg injury, the Police Ombudsman concluded that it was most likely to have been caused by a ricochet from one of the two baton rounds which missed their targets. "There is no evidence to indicate that it was a deliberate act by any officer who discharged his baton gun," said Mrs O'Loan.