Carla Lockhart said:

“This was a deeply traumatic experience for the staff who had to deal with this incident on the Saturday evening. Being met with a knife wielding intruder would have undoubtedly been so frightening, but the staff are to be commended for their bravery in finding a safe place and alerting the PSNI.

Obviously it is good news that the PSNI has made an arrest and I will await the outcome of those investigations and the pathway through the justice system. 

Darren has built up a fantastic business here and I know he will bounce back from this incident with his usual enthusiasm and fervour. However we must look at ensuring of streets are safe. One issue that has been identified here is the benefit of CCTV in businesses, and how that can assist police in identifying those who engage in criminality. It has been concerning the lack of town cctv available and I am currently taking this up with ABC Council and the PSNI. 

Additionally I am raising with ABC Council the potential for a support scheme for businesses to install CCTV. It would be a big help to reassuring staff, and deterring criminals.”