NEWS

Jailed: Curtis Dunlop (23) A 23-year-old man who took part in sustained rioting on the streets of Ballymena during three nights of disorder last summer has been jailed for 32 months, as police reiterated their commitment to pursuing all those involved in the violence. Kurtis Dunlop, 23, was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court on Monday, 20 April, after pleading guilty to the offence of riot linked to the disturbances that erupted in June 2025. He will serve half of the sentence —

A 42-year-old woman wanted in Hungary to stand trial for fraud and money laundering has been arrested in Carrickfergus, as part of a wider international investigation into organised crime. The arrest was carried out on Monday 20 April by officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s International Policing Unit. The woman is sought by Hungarian authorities in connection with offences alleged to have taken place in 2024. She was detained on a Hungarian extradition warr

A 40-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after police officers were targeted with crossbow bolts during a prolonged and violent stand-off in Kilkeel on Sunday night. The incident unfolded in the Moorfield Court area at around 9pm on 19 April, when members of the public reported a masked man in the street armed with a crossbow and threatening residents. Armed suspect sparks major police response Officers responding to the reports found the suspect h

A major fire that tore through the derelict Antrim Arms building in Ballycastle on Sunday evening is now being treated as a deliberate act, police have confirmed. The blaze at the prominent Castle Street property was reported shortly after 8pm on Sunday 19 April, triggering a large-scale emergency response and leading to multiple road closures in the town centre. Police confirm fire was deliberate In an update issued on Monday 20 April, the Police Service of Northern Ireland

A new Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) campaign is urging the public to recognise the warning signs of stalking after nearly 1,000 arrests were made since the offence was criminalised, with officers warning that behaviours often dismissed as romantic can escalate into serious harm. Launched to coincide with National Stalking Awareness Week (20–26 April) , the campaign uses a two-minute “romantic comedy” style trailer to challenge misconceptions around stalking, highl

A BMW and Seat Leon seized by police Police have seized two vehicles and reported three drivers for court after a series of road policing incidents yesterday, including one motorist clocked at more than 135mph on the A26 dual carriageway. Officers from Road Policing Interceptors based in Sprucefield carried out the enforcement activity on Friday evening, 17 April, targeting uninsured driving and dangerous speeds. Two uninsured drivers stopped and vehicles seized During patrol

A major suspected cocaine haul worth more than £1.4 million  has been seized by detectives in Warrenpoint, with a 53-year-old man arrested  following a police operation in Co Down on Thursday morning. The significant drugs seizure was made during a house search in the Mourne Drive area of Warrenpoint  on Thursday 16 April , as officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Organised Crime Branch , supported by the Tactical Support Group , carried out a targeted operat

Antrim Police Station A man in his 20s has been taken to hospital with severe facial injuries following a serious suspected assault in Antrim on Wednesday night, with a 27-year-old man arrested as police continue enquiries into the incident. Detectives have issued an appeal for witnesses and footage after the injured man was found in the Dublin Road area at around 10pm on Wednesday, 15 April. The incident is now the subject of an active police investigation, with officers par

Hundreds of drivers were caught committing road traffic offences across Northern Ireland during the Easter holiday weekend, with police recording 667 speed detections, 43 drink or drug driving arrests, and dozens of motorists driving uninsured or distracted behind the wheel. The figures, released as provisional statistics by the PSNI as of 14 April, relate to offences detected between Friday morning, 3 April, and midnight on Monday, 6 April, during the force’s Easter road saf

Sainsbury’s, Ballymena Two men have been charged following an incident involving ATM machines at Sainsbury’s on the Larne Road Link in Ballymena, after it is understood two cash machines were damaged having allegedly been tampered with. The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed the charges on Wednesday, April 15, after officers investigated reports of men interfering with ATM machines in the Larne Link Road area on Saturday 11 April. A witness at the scene reported tha

The Education Authority has confirmed that personal data linked to a small number of schools in Northern Ireland was compromised in a targeted cyber attack on the C2k school network, marking a major escalation in an incident that has already caused widespread disruption across the education system. The development emerged on Wednesday 15 April, just hours after detectives from the PSNI’s Cyber Crime Investigation Team arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with the ongoing

A man in his 20s has been arrested after a shop in Antrim was extensively damaged in an arson attack in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Police were called to the incident in the Greystone Road area of the town at approximately 3.35am on Tuesday 14 April, following reports that a business premises was on fire. Officers attended the scene alongside crews from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, who worked to extinguish the blaze. While no injuries were reported, t

A man in his 40s was stabbed several times with a pair of scissors after opening the door of his Ballymena flat to two intruders in what police are treating as an aggravated burglary. Detectives have launched an appeal for information following the violent incident at a property in Andena Grange on Saturday evening, 11 April, during which the victim was also robbed of personal belongings. The attack was reported to have taken place sometime between 8.30pm and 10pm when two ma

Police are appealing for information after a car was deliberately set alight in Ballymena in the early hours of Monday morning, with a petrol bomb discovered on top of the vehicle. The incident happened around 6.20am on Monday, 13 April, prompting a response from police and firefighters. On Monday morning police teams were seen with the vehicle in the area of Kintyre Park in the Ballykeel 1 estate in the town. The vehicle sustained damage to its boot area, and detectives are

A man is receiving hospital treatment after being shot in the hand during an early-hours gun attack on the Bushmills Road in Coleraine, with police closing part of the route on Sunday morning as investigations continue. The shooting happened in the early hours of Sunday, 12 April, when the victim was walking home between 1.00am and 1.30am. According to initial reports, a male dressed entirely in black, with his face covered, approached the man on the Bushmills Road and fired

A major policing operation across the North Coast over the bank holiday period resulted in nine arrests, 21 vehicles seized for dangerous defects and 560 speeding detections, as police moved to tackle traffic disruption, anti-social behaviour and dangerous driving in one of Northern Ireland’s busiest visitor hotspots. The extensive operation, led by police in Causeway Coast and Glens District, ran throughout the holiday weekend amid heightened concerns around road safety, exc

A teenage cyclist was taken to hospital after being struck by a white jeep-style vehicle in Larne on Wednesday afternoon, with police now appealing for witnesses and footage after the driver allegedly left the scene. The collision was reported to have happened at around 1.40pm on Wednesday 8th April near the junction of Ballyboley Road and Donaghys Lane. Police said the cyclist, a teenage boy, was hit by the vehicle and thrown onto the bonnet before falling onto the road. He

A 43-year-old man has been charged following the security alert in Glenarm earlier this week, during which police carried out a controlled explosion on what was later confirmed to be a viable device. The latest development follows Monday’s major police operation in the Feystown Road area, where detectives launched an investigation after a suspicious item was reported and specialist officers were called to the scene. Court appearance on Wednesday Detectives investigating the i

A safety initiative already supported by around 300 hospitality venues across Northern Ireland is set to be extended to shops in Ballymena. Retail staff in the town are to receive training as part of the Ask for Angela scheme, which provides a discreet way for people to seek help if they feel unsafe, threatened or vulnerable. Speaking at an online recent meeting of the Mid and East Antrim Policing and Community Safety Partnership, PSNI Chief Inspector Siobhan Watt  said the

The scene on Tuesday morning at Carrickfergus Cricket Club where police investigated the attempted theft of an ATM Police are appealing for witnesses after an attempted theft from an ATM machine in Carrickfergus in the early hours of Tuesday morning, with the investigation forcing the temporary closure of part of a nearby car park as officers continue work at the scene. The incident was reported at around 12.10am on Tuesday, 7 April, when an attempt was made to gain access to