Police 'ineffective' over attacks

Tandragee Orange Hall was attacked by arsonists

The grand secretary of the Orange Order has said the police have been ineffective in dealing with attacks on Orange halls.

Arsonists targeted two more halls in Portadown and Tandragee on New Year's Day.

Drew Nelson also said he wants the nationalist community to hand over those responsible.

"The police seem unable to protect the halls, they seem unable to detect those responsible," said Mr Nelson.

"The police have been so emasculated they seem to be no longer an effective force in Northern Ireland.

"What we want to see is the nationalist community handing over the people, giving information on the people who are carrying out these attacks."

Response

A spokeswoman for the PSNI said: "We are aware of the concerns of the Orange Order in relation to Orange halls.

"The chief constable and members of the senior command have met with order representatives and on at least one recent occasion, a senior officer of the order was invited to attend a police operational planning in the south-east.

"Each incident reported to police is investigated robustly and every effort is made to get the evidence needed to catch those responsible and bring them before the courts."