A WOMAN and her partner have had to flee their home in east Belfast after her car was smashed in a sectarian hate crime.
The windows of a woman's car were broken on London Street shortly after 8pm on Friday.
Police accompanied the woman and her partner, who are understood to be from a Catholic background, as they retrieved their belongings from the house on Saturday.
It is understood that police are continuing to monitor the area.
A police spokeswoman said: "Enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances of this incident which is currently being treated as a hate crime."
A relative of the couple contacted The Irish News to criticise the police response to the incident, saying it took officers more than an hour to attend the 999 call.
A police spokeswoman said: "Anyone with a complaint regarding police actions should contact the office of the Police Ombudsman."
