Bomb Alerts 'Adding Up'

There has been a shock rise in bomb alerts, despite the well established NI peace.

Figures released yesterday by Northern Ireland's Police Federation show that Army explosives teams have dealt with more than 750 dissident republican bomb alerts in the past two years.

The Police Federation - which is the representative body of 9,000 full, part-time and reserve police officers - announced the shock statictic at the organisation's annual conference yesterday morning.

The figures on dissident republican activities were given by the Federation's Chairman, Terry Spence.

According to Mr Spence, bomb disposal experts have dealt with over 750 real and hoax bomb alerts since July 2007 - an average of more than 30 a month.

He said that 420 of the alerts had the potential to kill or seriously injure.

The chairman also criticised the climate of budget cuts and the decision to sell off 26 PSNI stations to private developers.

He said this is happening at a time when Northern Ireland's political future is uncertain and when the terrorist threat is growing.

On Thursday, in one of the latest such incidents, the Fountain Lane area of Antrim town was sealed off and a number of residents moved while a suspicious device was examined.

The small bomb - which was left outside a house - was claimed by a loyalist paramilitary grouping.

It was discovered following a telephone warning when the caller claimed he was a member of a 'dissident loyalist' group called the 'Real UVF'.

Meanwhile, a second security alert in Craigavon yesterday turned out to be an "elaborate hoax".

A suspicious object was discovered lying on the kerb along the Monbrief Road around 10am and the area was closed down until 7pm as Army Technical Officers examined the object.

However, it was found to be an elaborate hoax which may have been there for some time.

(BMcC/GK)