War memorial wreath thefts a sectarian hate crime, say police: Incident comes less than two weeks after anti-protestant slogan daubed on Strabane tribute to the fallen

Police are treating the theft of wreaths from a war memorial Strabane as a sectarian hate crime.

The incident comes less than two weeks after a sectarian attack on the cenotaph, which saw an anti-protestant slogan daubed on the Co Tyrone town’s tribute to its war dead.

placeholder image — During the last week of April, an anti-protestant hate slogan was daubed on Strabane's war memorial in an overnight attack; now, five wreaths have been stolen from the same tribute to the town's fallen in another sectarian incident.

Five wreaths were stolen from the memorial on Derry Road at some point between 12.30pm on Wednesday and 3.30pm today, the PSNI has stated.

Appealing for information, a police spokesman confirmed the incident is being treated as a sectarian hate crime.

Said the spokesman: “Police appeal to anyone who was in the area between these times and noticed any suspicious activity, or to anyone who may have relevant footage, including dash-cam, to contact police in Strabane quoting serial number CW 1037 of 05/08/25."

Reports can also be filed online via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or contacting the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.