Three boys have been arrested.
Petrol bombs were thrown at police in Derry on Thursday evening when they were dealing with a security alert near a polling station.
Five petrol bombs were thrown after a suspicious device was found on Moss Road, close to St Paul’s Primary School.
One of the petrol bombs thrown was in the Glengalliagh Park area, where there was a number of children in close proximity to where it landed.
Three boys, a 12-year-old and two 17-year-olds, were arrested in connection with the disorder.
All three are in custody and helping police with their enquiries.
Police also recovered six other petrol bombs, two crates of empty bottles and 20 containers of paint.
Superintendent Gordon McCalmont of the PSNI said: “There is no doubt my officers were lured into the area this evening and that those involved in this orchestrated disorder had one aim in mind – to attack police.
“This was made all the more reckless by the fact that one of the petrol bombs hurled at police landed in close proximity to young children, who could have been left seriously injured, or worse.
“This security alert is the second this month in this area, impacting the same community that was disrupted on 2 May during local Council elections.
“It cannot be lost on anyone the disruption this has caused in the local community, let alone the potential for serious harm that could have been caused.”
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