Several assaults on people in the Newry area has prompted calls for locals to remain vigilant over the festive period.
Speaking about the latest incident councillor Charlie Casey said: “I have been approached by a man who was the victim of an unprovoked attack on the Meadow Road over the weekend where he and another person were set upon by four men and seriously assaulted.
“The man that I spoke to said the four attackers were foreign nationals and he was clear that they were.
“This man claimed that only for the intervention of other people who were making their way home from a night out then the attack would have been worse.”
Councilor Casey continued: “There is an onus on the PSNI to step up patrols of the area to ensure the safety of people who go about their business in a lawful way and who are continuously becoming the victims of assaults.
“Newry is becoming awash with drugs and people who I am talking to on a daily basis are saying that those who peddle in the drugs trade are getting a free hand to do so.
“The PSNI needs to earn the trust and confidence of people, they need to engage more with local communities to find out where the problem spots are. It seems to me that the police are reactive rather than proactive when dealing with these issues.”
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