The UDA was behind the riot that broke out on an estate in Bangor, Co Down, the PSNI chief constable has claimed. Dan Keenan, Northern News Editor, reports.
Shots were fired at police in the Kilcooley estate in the town and a gang threw petrol and paint bombs, stones and fireworks. Cars were also set alight during the trouble late on Wednesday.
PSNI officers fired six new-style baton rounds, a replacement for plastic bullets, after a gunman opened fire on officers.
This followed a series of police searches in about 14 houses in the area linked to organised crime in which the UDA is thought to be involved.
At about midnight, a gang of up to 200 took to the streets in one area of the large estate and confronted police, throwing missiles and setting fire to cars. Sir Hugh Orde said state funding for initiatives in loyalist areas needed to be reviewed in the wake of the trouble.
Last March the British government announced it was prepared to give £1.2 million (€1.78 million) towards community projects aimed at encouraging the UDA away from crime.
"If that was value for money, then the people of Kilcooley got very poor value for their money," he said.
"If you want my personal opinion, I wouldn't give them 50 pence."
The PSNI, referring to the government grants, has said it has "significant evidence" that the UDA remains involved in extortion.
The Alliance Party and the SDLP have already called for the funding to be stopped. Meetings were being held between community leaders in the estate and the local PSNI in an effort to defuse tension. North Down MP Lady Sylvia Hermon called on the Kilcooley community to reject violence.
"Kilcooley has been an estate which has worked extremely closely with the PSNI, it has got itself up off its knees in recent years. I do not want to see a repetition in any shape or form of attacks on police officers. There is no justification whatsoever for opening fire, for attacking police vehicles. I find it despicable, contemptible and it is not to be repeated."
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness called on residents in the area to take any grievances to the Police Ombudsman rather than confront the police on the streets. Condemning the violence, he said: "Nuala O'Loan has an enormous credibility within society and I would urge people who might feel they have justifiable complaints about how raids take place to make those complaints to her.
He added: "There is a responsibility here on the UDA to recognise that this is unacceptable behaviour and that they have a responsibility to de-escalate situations that may occur within society." Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward branded the violence "self-destructive".
"It is beyond belief that the very people who have been calling for resolute police action against criminal elements in their midst should respond with extreme violence when this occurs, and then attempt to justify their behaviour," he added.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said: "The community who are ravaged by this scourge need to make sure that the forces of law and order, who represent us all on this island, that they have to be given an opportunity to weed out those people who are the purveyors of doom for local communities."