20/04/2021

Viable Device Found Near Police Officer's Home

A viable device has been discovered near to the home of a police officer in Dungiven, L'Derry.

The woman targeted is a member of staff and also serves as a part-time PSNI officer.

First Minister Arlene Foster said she "condemned those responsible".

"All right-thinking people will reject those who try to drag us back into violence through such cowardly deeds. People across Northern Ireland will unite in agreement that this barbarity has no place in today's society and that this dark and sinister agenda is a thing of the past, not our future."

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said: "This was a shocking and deplorable attempt on the life of  a police officer that will rightly be reviled across the community. My thoughts are very much with the police officer concerned and her family.  

“Those behind this reckless attack have absolutely nothing to offer society and have shown a callous disregard for the entire community. They seek only to drag our communities backwards; they have no place in our society and they should disband."

The Ulster Unionist Party's Policing spokesperson, Mike Nesbitt MLA, said: "Once again violent dissident republicans have sought to murder a police officer, and in response we must all stand in solidarity with this officer and the PSNI.

"This is a very disturbing incident, involving the use of a viable device which was clearly an attempt to take life.

"23 years on from the Belfast Agreement there is simply no place for those who were offered an inclusive future and have chosen to reject it.

"My thoughts are with the officer and their family and colleagues."

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

21 April 2016
Officer Disciplined For Failing To Properly Investigate Assault On Boy
A police officer has been disciplined after failing to properly investigate an allegation that a man annoyed by children playing football near his car, attacked a 12-year-old boy by kicking him on the hand.
06 August 2014
Police Vehicle Contracts Arrest - Man Released
A 54-year-old member of police staff who was arrested in County Antrim as part of ongoing investigations into the awarding of vehicle contracts has been released. The man was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and has been taken to a police station in Belfast for questioning.
28 March 2007
House of Lords vote for ‘50/50’ police force
The House of Lords has renewed the 50/50 recruitment rule for the PSNI by a majority of 44. It puts into practice a recommendation made in 1999 by Lord Patten that the local police force should be split evenly between Catholics and Protestants. The result of the vote was 141 to 97.
03 November 2017
Officer Disciplined After Driver Escapes Punishment In Crash
A police officer has been disciplined after a driver escaped punishment for knocking down a pedestrian. The incident happened in L'Derry in December 2015.
03 December 2015
Two Officers Disciplined For Failing To Fully Investigate Attack On Woman
Two police officers have been disciplined for failing to properly investigate an attack on a woman in L'Derry in 2014, following an investigation by the Police Ombudsman. The victim reported that a man had punched her in the face in an apparently unprovoked attack after she left a bar in the early hours of the morning.