‘I’m being set-up’ – dissident
A hardline republican from Derry has claimed he is being harassed by the PSNI after his car was stopped and searched by police three times within a 24 hour period.
The man, a member of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement (32CSM), who did not wish to be named, claims the police watch his movements “constantly” and he fears he is being set up for assassination.
“I am getting stopped and searched almost everywhere I go. Between Saturday night and Sunday night I was pulled over and searched three times on Argyle Street, Strand Road and Westway. I have three children and each time the police stopped me they took the car seats out of my family car as they searched,” he said.
The man said he has been searched 16 times since the beginning of the year and produced documents he was given by the officers carrying out the searches.
“This has been going on for months. They have stopped and searched me 16 times since January. It is constant. It has got so bad that my solicitor has advised me to keep a log book of every time I’m stopped,” he said.
He also said he fears for his personal safety.
“The police are driving past my house all the time and one of my neighbours told me he saw policemen get out of the car and go up and look through the front window. They have also been seen taking photographs outside my house. I feel that there is something else coming and I fear for my safety. They could be setting me up to be targeted,” he said.
A spokesperson for the 32 CSM said; “Once again we see that the RUC/PSNI have not changed and are still a colonial police force whose principal aim is harassing people throughout Derry and the rest of the Six Counties,” he said.
A PSNI spokesperson said. “If anyone has genuine cause to complain about the actions of a police officer they can contact the Police Ombudsman.”
