THERE was a high level of disquiet about police tactics during the recent riots in Belfast, with many citizens dismayed by the sight of officers taking a battering from young tearaways intent on doing them serious harm.
The police have taken their time over prosecuting those involved in the trouble - and are now stepping up their efforts.
Already, detectives have made 42 arrests, 22 of which involved disorder in north and west Belfast and the other 20 in parts o
f the city such as the Short Strand.
There should be no equivocation about what happened - these were republican riots, stirred up by extremist groups whose aim is to wreak havoc on our streets.
Now the police have taken the step of releasing to the public, photographs of 14 rioters being sought by them.
With the PSNI stretched, and no Army back-up available because of a Labour Government concession to the IRA, the brave police officers on the ground had little alternative during the rioting in Ardoyone and other parts of the city.
To have rushed into narrow side streets in pursuit of rioters would have exposed officers to even greater danger and no doubt the dissidents had their own perverse plans of welcome.
The operation to trawl through hours of CCTV footage and photographic stills has been well thought out and extremely well executed.
The simple message has been sent out loud and clear that there is no hiding place for rioters.
Hopefully all the republicans who have condemned the rioting will now help the police identify the culprits so they can be dealt with and the courts will ensure appropriate sentences are handed down.
