By Conor Sharkey

STRABANE PSNI has denied a claim that Springhill Park has been reduced to a no-go area for the police.

Earlier this week, Springhill residents said that since a riot in May, police have been unable to enter the estate without coming under attack from youths. This claim appeared to be cemented last Thursday when police were forced to abandon house-to-house investigations following an arson attack on an ice cream van.

But speaking to the Strabane Chronicle on Tuesday, PSNI Inspector Ivor Morton said that while the situation at Springhill was frustrating for officers, it was not a no-go area.

"I want to make it clear from the start that 'no-go' areas do not exist in Strabane. We will continue to respond to incidents appropriately like we did following the attack on the ice-cream van last week. It is frustrating for our officers when they are forced to pull back from investigating scenes because of disorder, stoning and missile attacks from local youths. We are continually working with local community representatives to resolve these issues however our main appeal must be to parents who simply cannot allow their children to get involved in this type of behaviour," Inspector Morton said.