Children as young as 10 involved in multiple nights of disorder

Police have said children as young as 10 have been involved in multiple nights of disorder in Londonderry.

A 13-year-old boy has been arrested after petrol bombs and other missiles were thrown at police vehicles, as a number of masked young people gathered in the Bishop Street area on Tuesday. He has been released on bail.

Police say there have been several incidents of antisocial behaviour in Bishop Street, The Fountain and Nailors Row in recent weeks. A 14-year-old boy has been arrested as part of the Nailors Row investigation.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Ch Supt Gillian Kearney said there are concerns that paramilitary groups may be involved in organising the disorder.

She said it was "really disappointing" to see such young children involved.

"I think there are a number of factors at play here, not just one individual reason for this happening," she said.

"We don't want those children's future to be caught up in this, so we will, alongside the criminal justice process, try to get the appropriate support in place.

"So I appeal to anybody who has information on that, let's get ahead of it, let's make sure that those children aren't being criminalised , let's put the diversionary activities in place if we can."

Kearney said "there was a combination of reasons" why the trouble was happening.

"There are a number of factors that are contributing to this, the longer nights and the fact that we are seeing a number of sectarian incidents happening across the district," she added.

She said "paramilitary groupings in particular or organised criminal elements of those" are a line of enquiry and that it would "look at groupings such as the INLA" (Irish National Liberation Army).

"We will see further arrests in relation to the disorder," Kearney added.

She said the community will continue to see a visible policing presence.

Earlier, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member Julie Middleton said the attack on police on Tuesday followed reports from people living in the Fountain area that fireworks had been thrown into the estate.

At about 17:30 BST it was reported to police that a number of masked young people had gathered in the Bishop Street area.

Bishop Street was closed temporarily during the disorder, causing disruption in the area.

A number of people, believed to be youths and some wearing masks, were involved in incidents of antisocial behaviour on the evenings of 20 and 21 April, 4 May as well as Tuesday evening, police said.

Police said an investigation is under way to "identify all those involved" and it would take action against anyone identified as committing offences".

Christopher Sherrard's mum, brother and aunt live in the Fountain estate, where he grew up.

He told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme that events of recent days had been especially "traumatic" for the dozen or so families who live closest to the peace wall between the estate and Bishop Street.

"It's those two rows of houses that are continually being pelted," Sherrard said.

Sherrard added: "The two rows of houses that are being attacked, there's a combination of widows, young families, and people with disabilities.

"If there were petrol bombs thrown and any of those petrol bombs hit the roof of any of those two rows of houses, those whole rows will go up."

On Monday night he had gone to check on his mum when he was made aware of the disorder in the area.

"All we could see was bricks and bottles coming over the security fence," he said adding police vehicles were also coming under serious attack.

"You could hear it in the estate.

"In normal society, this is not right you know.

"I can only speak on behalf of my family…my mum is a widow, my auntie who lives next door has got polio and is a wheelchair. This kind of stuff scares people."

He said it is difficult to understand the rationale for the recent disorder.

"I would just ask that anybody that's involved in it, just think about the people whose homes that you're attacking, and the fact that you're making people's lives very unhappy and uncomfortable at the moment."

DUP MLA Middleton said she had been contacted by residents of the Fountain at about 17:00 on Tuesday, who reported fireworks being thrown into the estate.

The night before, residents had reported stones being thrown into the estate on Monday night.

Middleton said the attacks on the Fountain estate were "absolutely senseless".

"There is no justification, they are sectarian, and certainly in this instance it is well documented it is young people carrying out the attacks," she told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"Someone is going to end up very seriously injured if this continues," she said.

East Londonderry DUP MP Gregory Campbell said there was an onus on politicians from all parties to condemn the violence.

He said the people who live in the predominantly Protestant Fountain estate were no threat to anyone in the mainly-nationalist cityside of Derry.

"They pose no numerical threat, no political or religious threat," he said.

"Why are they being targeted by organised groups of young people?"

SDLP councillor John Boyle said the disorder on Tuesday was "an escalation" and the police presence was "very significant".

"The very genesis of what happened on the last two nights is sectarian in its nature," he said.

"It is up to all of us to stand up and face down these thugs."