POLICE are investigating claims that their own officers may have advised nursing staff outside the Mater Hospital in North Belfast to show their ID to masked men during disorder last week.
The claims come after two nights of violence in parts of Belfast following a horrific knife attack in North Belfast. The violence also saw ethnic minority families forced to flee their homes after being attacked by masked gangs in East and North Belfast.
First Minister Michelle O'Neill contacted PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher about the allegations.
She expressed particular concern about a claim that police officers close to the Mater Hospital in north Belfast had advised healthcare staff to show their IDs to the rioters as they passed “checkpoints” set up by the gangs.
“It’s absolutely vile and disgusting,” she said. “I’ve raised it directly with the Chief Constable. I know that our team in the Policing Board also raised this issue, and I’ve asked the Chief Constable to do a full investigation into this, because I’ve been told by members who work in one of our local hospitals that they stood with police and were told to show their ID to masked men on the street.
“If that happened, there needs to be a serious investigation. No nurse or no person going into the workplace should have to stop at any mob and give their ID. That’s absolutely disgraceful.
“I think we have to get to the bottom of whether or not that did happen. I put it directly to the Chief Constable, who, in the first instance, dismissed it, but then, whenever I went back to him again, he had to take on board that actually both myself and the Health Minister were told this by members of staff.”
Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the PSNI are working to check specific reports of threats and urged people to come forward.
“We are aware of reports circulating that police officers may have advised nursing staff outside the Mater Hospital to show their ID to masked men. We are checking our records of Tuesday evening to establish if we can identify any specific reports.
"I have also engaged directly with the Chief Executive of the Belfast Trust and with senior staff at the Mater Hospital in order to obtain any specific examples they might be aware of. No one has come to police directly at this stage and we would urge anyone who experienced this or who has information to contact us on 101.”
