Manpower Warning Follows Court Bombing

Complacency by the PSNI Chief Constable and his senior commanders - as well as by senior political figures - is leading to a lack of police manpower on-the-ground.

This in turn is leaving the way clear for an increased number of terrorist outrages.

That's the message today from Ulster Unionist MLA for Newry and Armagh, Danny Kennedy, (pictured).

He has condemned the "sinister attack" which took place at Newry Court House on Monday night but has also accused the PSNI and the NIO Secretary of State of being deluded in the "mistaken belief that these individuals were unrepresentative".

Addressing the Northern Ireland Assembly on Tuesday, he said: "As a local representative and on behalf of my party I wish to unreservedly condemn this attack, which has caused further fear and anxiety to people in my constituency and further afield.

"I want to take the opportunity to express my thanks and admiration to the PSNI and security officers who acted so quickly and effectively last night to avoid widespread injury and death.

"I also wish to commend members of the general public who alerted the PSNI to the fact that a car had been left at Newry Court House," he said, noting that - in the current political climate - this attack was designed by republican dissidents to maximise fear and uncertainty and destabilise the entirety of our political structures.

"We must not allow that to happen and I trust that the political reaction to this event will be a united response of condemnation."

However, he slammed a level of complacency at senior levels and said: "I have been concerned for some time that the threat posed by republican dissidents has been viewed with a certain amount of complacency by the Chief Constable and his senior command and by senior political figures such as the Secretary of State.

"There is a mistaken belief that these individuals were unrepresentative and lacked the manpower to cause serious problems.

"Clearly, that is not the case and we now face a deteriorating security situation particularly in border constituencies in Newry and Armagh," he said.

"In my view an immediate security response is required. This must include additional resources in the border area and increased use of intelligence to combat the threat posed by these so called dissidents," he concluded.

However, in response, the PSNI's Chief Constable, Matt Baggott has rejected Ulster Unionist accusations that police were under-estimating the threat presented by dissident groups.

Mr Baggott said police had arrested 130 people for dissident activity over the last 15 months.

Commenting on last night's 250lb car bomb in Newry he said: "This is not an attack on a court building, this is an attack on people whose lives depend on the wellbeing of Newry."

The Acting Chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Brian Rea has also condemned those responsible for the car bomb attack on Newry Courthouse last night.

"This bomb had the potential to cause serious harm and those who left it had complete disregard for the safety of the local community. It is pure good fortune that members of the public or police officers evacuating the area were not caught up in this explosion," he said.

PM Gordon Brown has also strongly condemned the bombers behind the Newry blast: "Northern Ireland's politicians have been working incredibly hard to deliver a successful conclusion to the peace process and they will not allow a tiny minority to turn the clock back," his spokesman said.

(BMcC/GK)