POLITICIANS have condemned threatening graffiti painted on the walls of a former police station in Co Tyrone.
The graffiti is understood to have appeared overnight on Monday and included several names along with sniper’s crosshairs and the words "screws beware".
It is believed a stencil was also used to draw a gun and the letters IRA on the wall of the disused station.
This is thought to be a reference to the ‘IRA’, sometimes referred to as the New IRA.
In recent years tensions in Maghaberry Prison have been high and two prison officers have been killed.
In November 2012 David Black, from nearby Cookstown, was shot dead as he drove to work along the M1, while Adrian Ismay died 11 days after a bomb exploded under his vehicle in 2016.
Earlier this year Mr Black’s son Kyle was elected to represent the DUP at Mid Ulster council, which includes the Stewartstown area.
Prison Officers Association chairman Ivor Dunne last night condemned the graffiti and said it will cause hurt to the Black family.
“We are 21 years from the peace process and this is deplorable,” he said.
“We have lost 32 members of the Prison Service family."
SDLP councillor Malachy Quinn said: “I was disgusted to see that more graffiti has been spread in Stewartstown, the second such incident in recent months.
“Over the past number of weeks the community here has been working around the clock to get the town ready for the Ulster in Bloom competition, breaking their backs to get the town looking fantastic, and here we have them faceless thugs coming along in the middle of the nights to ruin all that.”
Sinn Féin’s Ronan McGinley also called for the graffiti to be removed.
“The people of Stewartstown have been working hard to prepare the town for the bloom awards and unfortunately there are a few people who want to intimidate people and deface the area,” he said.
“They in no way represent this community.
“Incidents such as this only serve to further division at a time when the community wants to move forward.”
UUP councillor Trevor Wilson said: “I totally condemn the appearance of this graffiti which is clearly designed to threaten and intimidate people - particularly the three who are named - alongside the letters ‘IRA’ and the image of a rifle.
“Given the murders of prison officers David Black in November 2012 and Adrian Ismay in March 2016, any potential threat to officers has to be taken seriously.”
