NEWTON Emerson, 'Police UVF calculation doesn't really add up' (april 17) asks 'where are the arrests, searches and seizures targeting loyalist ringleaders after three years of rioting there' (east Belfast) and suggests we are taking a softer line to elsewhere. this is, as I have publicly stated previously, abject and ill informed nonsense. the truth is we have made dozens of arrests for serious offences ranging from drug dealing, blackmail and extortion alongside hundreds for public order related offences. UvF ringleaders have been charged and some are already serving custodial sentences.
Our approach to paramilitaries and crime in east Belfast has - and will continue to be - both thorough and relentless.
It really is time for Newton to check his facts and stop misquoting myself, colleagues and the law itself. there has been no appeasement policy, differential approach or over emphasis upon human right - our stance is simply that of impartial, professional policing.
MATT BAGGOTT
Chief Constable PSNI
