Sir Jeffrey said,
“The overwhelming number of people in Northern Ireland want to live at peace with each other and are utterly opposed to violence or the threat of violence.
I give my full support to the Police and the Security Services as they seek to stop those who are wedded to terrorism and organised crime.
It is bad news for Northern Ireland when the risk of further attacks moves to “likely” or “very likely”. I look forward to a day when the threat level is removed but to get there the community must stand with the police and demonstrate there is no space for terrorism in Northern Ireland in 2023.
The Government made a commitment to help fund 7,500 officers in the PSNI but have not yet made good on that promise. With police officers facing such a threat, now is the time for the Government to provide that additional funding to ensure the PSNI has the full capacity to meet this threat.”
DUP South Antrim MLA and Policing Board member Trevor Clarke said,
“I attended the Policing Board today as this news came through and we were reminded that police officers, prison officers and others are being targeted by republican terrorists. This was wrong forty years ago and it is wrong today.
Our police officers are public servants who are dedicated to helping the communities in which they work. To have to second guess every call out is an outrageous impediment to good policing being delivered.
The police budget is under strain and with such a threat assessment against officers, it is paramount that the Secretary of State faces reality and the Government steps in to assist the Chief Constable and his team.”
