Downpatrick: police officer injured during trouble

The trouble began on Friday night and lasted for a number of hours into Saturday morning, police said

A police officer has been injured and a police car damaged during trouble in Downpatrick, County Down.

Petrol bombs, masonry and bottles were thrown at officers and police vehicles by a group of up to 30 young people during the disorder in the Flying Horse Estate.

The trouble began on Friday night and lasted for a number of hours into Saturday morning.

The officer was treated for a head injury after being struck by a bottle.

A police car had its front windscreen smashed.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Inspector, Steven Weatherald, said it is "aware of the ongoing problem of anti-social behaviour in the estate" and is committed to working with "other agencies, elected representatives and the community to tackle this problem".

He said those involved "may only be a small minority, but they are upsetting their own community by continuing to engage in such behaviour".

Mr Weatherald appealed to parents in the area to "be aware of where their children are, and what they are up to".

"The behaviour of your child may be making the life of your neighbour, or another member of your community, almost unbearable," he added.

"We all bear a responsibility to work together and make this community a safer place in which to live, and those who hold positions of responsibility and influence are asked to help."