A high visibility policing operation is to be launched across Northern Ireland to counter the dissident republican threat, a senior officer has said. It follows a car bomb attack outside Dunmurry police station on Saturday.
Operation Details
Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said the policing operation would involve more vehicle checkpoints and officers on patrol which “may cause some inconvenience to the general public”. Meanwhile, the dissident republican group the New IRA has claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement to the Irish News newspaper.
Political Condemnation
There has been widespread political condemnation of the incident in which a male delivery driver was hijacked in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast on Saturday. A device was placed inside the vehicle and he was ordered to drive to Dunmurry police station. The car exploded outside the station as people were being evacuated. Nobody was injured. The incident is being treated by police as attempted murder. It happened just weeks after an attempted car bomb attack on Lurgan police station.
On Tuesday Mr Beck said: “Communities across Northern Ireland will see an increase in policing activity as a high visibility policing operation gets under way to counter the ongoing dissident threat. We have concerns about threats across Northern Ireland from dissident groups, particularly in the wake of the recent attack on Dunmurry police station, which demonstrated a clear intent to damage and disrupt communities and potentially injure and kill police officers and staff. Our job is to keep communities safe and also our officers who bravely serve to protect these communities. We are taking every reasonable step to do so. However, we need the active support of our communities to do this.”
He added: “This operation will involve more vehicle checkpoints and patrolling officers. This may cause some inconvenience to the general public, however, we are asking for patience and the support of communities as we work hard to keep us all safe.”
Claim of Responsibility
The Irish News reported the dissident republican group claim that the attack had been an attempt to kill police officers as they tried to leave the station. A PSNI spokesperson said: “We are aware of the claim and the investigation remains ongoing.” On Monday, the PSNI released footage of the moment a car bomb exploded, after senior figures jointly condemned the “reckless” attack. The footage shows a person walking along a path before a large flash of light erupts ahead. The dissident republican attack has been condemned by Northern Ireland’s political leaders and chief constable, who voiced their condemnation at a joint press conference on Monday.
