By Paul McElwee

A SENIOR PSNI officer has apologised to a Tyrone woman whose house was the subject of a mistaken identity raid.

Gale Doherty, of St Colman's Drive in Strabane, was at home when a group of four officers kicked in her door and confronted her. After much confusion which left Mrs Doherty in tears, the officers realised they had entered the wrong premises.

The public apology was demanded by her husband Robert, angry that his wife was left in such a state.

"The police have apologised to my wife and myself, but I want a public apology just to let people know that we haven't done anything wrong."

The mistake was realised when the officers said they were looking for a dog, and Mrs Doherty said that neither she nor her husband owned a dog. They left promptly, leaving the door on the floor and Mrs Doherty traumatised. The officers did not return for 15 minutes to check on Mrs Doherty.

Mrs Doherty said, "I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the door lying on the ground and officers in my house. I didn't know what was going on. I haven't been sleeping right since – I keep waking up with nightmares about people coming after me and I keep playing it over in my mind."

criticism

Strabane Sinn Féin Councillor Brian McMahon, who also sits on the District Policing Partnership, knows the family.

He said it's the second time an incident like this has happened in recent months.

"It's incidents like this, in communities which are at a very early stage of acceptance of the PSNI, which make my job to create a police service fit for purpose harder."

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin Cllr Brian McMahon has come in for criticism from the IRSP, as has the SDLP.

A IRSP spokesman said, "Both the SDLP and SF pointed out that the police went to the wrong house, yet failed to condemn the manner in which the raids were carried out.

"Are they therefore saying that if they had went to the right house – the house of an IRSP member – it would have been all right to kick in the door and throw whoever was home against the wall?

"Brian McMahon also pointed out in his statement that the family in the house that was raided were totally innocent.

"Is he therefore implying that those in the house that was meant to be targetted weren't innocent? Why did he not comment on the other three houses of IRSP members that were raided the same day, and nothing was found?

"We are very angry at Mr McMahon's response," added the IRSP spokesman.