Republican protesters burst through the security gates of one of the most attacked police stations in Northern Ireland today.
A crowd of 100 Sinn Féin supporters held a protest outside Andersonstown Police Station in west Belfast which closed its doors today in preparation for demolition next month.
As a senior police officer prepared to stage a press conference to cover the closure, a number of protesters made their way through the security gates but did not gain access to the station.
They left peacefully after making a token protest. Chief Inspector Peter Farrar said police did not plan to take any action following the breaching of the security cordon.
He said: "Every police station is a public building and we aim to serve the public and that's all members of the public. Our only purpose within west Belfast is to make west Belfast safer.
Mr Farrar said the closure of Andersonstown, which was established in 1887, was the end of an era for policing in the area.
"There are mixed emotions when any police station closes. Police officers worked here for over 100 years so there are many happy memories and some tragic and sad memories.
"Society has changed and policing has changed across Northern Ireland so we are trying to keep up with society by making sure what we are doing is the most effective and progressive way of policing in west Belfast," he added.
Work has already begun to dismantle the base, with the communications mast and other equipment removed ahead of today's closure. Three other stations in the area, Grosvenor Road, Woodbourne and New Barnsley, will remain open to provide policing in the west of the city.
Outside the station, Sinn Féin Assembly member for the area, Mr Michael Ferguson, said no tears would be shed by republicans over the closure.
"Let's not forget the base that the Special Branch watched while they sent their agent Michael Stone into Milltown to murder mourners at a funeral," he claimed.
"It is also the paramilitary base where they tortured people and planned the raids on our constituents' homes, so hopefully this will be the first of many acts of demilitarisation."
The station played a prominent role during 30 years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
In May 1983, a 1,000lb IRA car bomb exploded causing an estimated £1 million of damage at the station.
In 2001, an 11-week-old girl was injured after the car she was travelling in was hit by shrapnel during an attack on the station by the dissident republican Real IRA.
PA