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A police officer who was knocked off his bicycle by a car in Belfast waited more than two hours "lying on the ground" before an ambulance arrived.

The officer was hit by a Renault Clio on the Belmont Road at around 15:00 BST on Sunday.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said it received a 999 call at 15:09 but “was unable to provide a response until 17:12".

In a statement, NIAS apologised to the patient “for the delay in responding to their need”.

“This call was, based on clinical need, prioritised as a Category 2 call which normally requires an 18 minute response,” NIAS said.

It added: “NIAS has been highlighting for a number of years that we have been unable to respond to calls within set targets, and regrettably this has continued during the past year”.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the officer had been on patrol and in the cycle lane at the time of the collision.

A man in his 50s, who was arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including driving while unfit through drink or drugs, has been released on bail.

Former PSNI officer Gordon Downey told ���˿��� Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show it is difficult to comprehend how a police officer could be left lying on the ground.

“It is a rather poor showing, I can’t understand how someone who was knocked down and had a dislocated shoulder was left lying on the ground. It just doesn’t make sense,” he said.

"That the officer had to be treated and guarded by another officer put a further drain on police", he said.

The injured officer, he added, was in a very vulnerable position.

“It is not likely that an attack could be mounted in a short period of time like that however no one can ever rule out the possibility that an attack can take place,” he said.

'Delayed handovers'

NIAS said its ability to respond to calls is being seriously impacted by a number of factors.

“The reasons it has not been possible to respond to all calls within these target times are the acknowledged fact that we have insufficient operational staff to meet the level of demand… and the impact of emergency department pressures being reflected in delayed handovers.”

It said work is ongoing with health trusts to cut those delays and the service continues to work with the Department of Health in relation to “ambulance capacity".

Police appeal

Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact them.

They also appealed for anyone who had CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage to come forward.

"My thoughts are with our colleague who has our full support as he recovers from this injury,” Sgt Gary Jackson added.