North's first minister in right to hold weapons call
The government in the North has an obligation to allow former policemen and soldiers to keep weapons amid the dissident republican threat, the First Minister said today.
The worrying trend of refusing guns for people at risk needs to be reviewed as a matter of urgency, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Peter Robinson added.
He met PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde today.
“The DUP believes that the government has an equal moral obligation to those security forces and police officers who have stood against the terrorist threat in the past as they do to those who are serving in the front line today,” he added.
Constable Stephen Carroll, 48, was shot dead by the Continuity IRA in Craigavon earlier this month.
Soldiers Patrick Azimkar, 21, and Mark Quinsey, 23, were gunned down on March 7 as they collected a pizza delivery at the gates of their Massereene Barracks, Antrim.
Mr Robinson added: “The worrying trend of refusing personal protections weapon renewals or applications for people at risk needs to be reviewed as a matter of urgency.”
He said the party would continue to monitor the security situation carefully.
“It is clear that the two dissident republican incidents have placed additional strain on resources,” he added.
“The DUP will continue to support the police as they seek the resources they need to secure the safety and stability of our country.
“We will not allow evil murderers to plunge Northern Ireland into violence and bloodshed.”
