Speaking afterwards Sir Jeffrey said,
“We send our prayerful support to DCI Caldwell and his wider family as well as his colleagues.
There is no logic to the targeting of police officers in the advancement of a political ideal. In August 1970 the first police officer to be murdered by republican terrorists was my own cousin Samuel. There was no logic to murdering police officers then either. There was an alternative to shooting police officers in 1970 and there is no justification in 2023.
I will stand foursquare with every political leader in opposing those who cling to guns no matter who or where they are.
I will stand beside the Chief Constable if he needs to stop and search people and if needs to break down doors to rid our streets of the people who cling to paramilitary structures, he has my full support.
I will defend our officers being properly armed both on duty and off duty until the threat is gone.
I will stand in Parliament and remind the Government of their commitment in New Decade New Approach to fund seven and a half thousand police officers in Northern Ireland.
If the police are to remove the criminals, they need the resources to do it.
We will not be intimidated by the gunmen. Those who depend on a gun do so because they can’t depend on their argument. Northern Ireland is not going back so let’s keep moving forward by supporting the police, joining the police and helping the police remove every last trace of terrorism from our streets.”
