Attacks on Catholic police ‘threaten community’
Those who attack young Catholic police recruits in Northern Ireland are attempting to prevent the establishment of a force acceptable to the entire community, it was claimed today.
South Down MP and Police Board member Eddie McGrady has urged the entire community to support the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) after a Catholic student officer and his family were forced to flee their Newry home at the weekend.
Police say the family had to move following intelligence about a specific threat from dissident republicans.
The SDLP MP said: ‘‘This was a very, very serious threat against the life of this young recruit from what I understand was dissident republicans.
‘‘It is an expression of the extreme republican attitude to the new police service.
‘‘This is an attempt by those involved in paramilitarism and organised crime to prevent the establishment of a new police service which is acceptable to everyone in the community.
‘‘When that is in place, their criminal and paramilitary activity will be much more difficult to continue.’’
Mr McGrady said many young Catholics were continuing to enter the police service despite such examples of intimidation.
‘‘The force is not representative at the moment but change is beginning to occur quite quickly. As well as more Catholics applying, the whole training process, human rights and equality agenda are making enormous changes to the culture in the force.
‘‘Every man, woman, boy and girl deserves the protection of a professional, dedicated police force.
‘‘The only legitimate force here is the PSNI and until we have that fully trained and in place, the community is at risk from paramilitaries, organised criminal gangs and indeed, domestic crime.’’
