Dissident republicans planning fresh attacks: Cramphorn

Dissident republicans are planning a fresh wave of assassinations and bomb attacks the Acting Chief Constable Colin Cramphorn has said.

Addressing the Policing Board’s monthly meeting today Mr Cramphorn said that there have been a number of threats emerging from dissidents groups towards new recruits of the police force but he refused to comment on reports of threats to politicians.

However Policing Board member Ian Paisley Jr said that threats had been extended to some of Northern Ireland’s leading politicians.

Speaking on a BBC radio programme today, Ian Paisley Jr said: “They have been told that republicans intend to carry out a political assassination or in their terms a ‘spectacular’. No intelligence was given as to whom that person would be, but obviously a number of politicians have been warned and I believe throughout the course of the day they will continue to be warned.”

Delivering the PSNI's first report last week Mr Cramphorn reported that seventeen people died as a result of the security situation.

The threat from both republican and loyalist groupings remained “very real” and continued to place “considerable demands on the police to protect the community”, Mr Cramphorn said.

He also hit out strongly at paramilitary-style attacks in the report which he described as a “blight on the community”.

“At a time when people from all sections of the community are coming forward to both join the Police Service and to support policing generally those who carry out these attacks deserve, more than ever, to be marginalised and rejected by the community.”

Mr Cramphorn said sectarian violence had to be rejected if “unprecedented levels” of crime were to be reduced.

(AMcE)