PSNI's defiant pledge to 'relentlessly pursue' terrorists as threat level raised to 'severe'

By Mark Rainey and PA
Published 28th Mar 2023, 19:53 BST
Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton speaking to the media at the headquarters of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in Belfast after MI5 increased the terror threat level in Northern Ireland from "substantial" to "severe".Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton speaking to the media at the headquarters of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in Belfast after MI5 increased the terror threat level in Northern Ireland from "substantial" to "severe".
Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton speaking to the media at the headquarters of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in Belfast after MI5 increased the terror threat level in Northern Ireland from "substantial" to "severe".
Police chiefs have sent a defiant message to terrorist crime gangs as MI5 increased the threat level from ‘substantial’ to ‘severe’.

Northern Ireland’s level had been lowered to substantial a year ago – the first time it had been altered since 2010.

Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said there had been seven attacks since last March, including the shooting of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell last month.

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DCI Caldwell was shot several times in front of his young son and several school age children as he finished a youth football coaching session. He remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

At a press briefing yesterday, DCC Hamilton said: “It’s important for me to say to the community today that the PSNI, supported by partners, will relentlessly pursue those who seek to cause harm and terrorise our community, and those who seek to attack police officers and other members of the security services here in Northern Ireland.

“We’re not going to be deterred from providing our visible, accessible responsive policing to the community, we’re determined not to go backwards.”

He added: “The threat level was severe for a number of years … we’re somewhat used to it, it doesn’t mean we accept it, we have to work even harder to get it to a level which is far more acceptable, which effectively means the eradication of terrorism.”

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Asked if the PSNI has the budget to be able to deal with the raised threat level, Mr Hamilton said: “Our national security effort is funded through an additional security funding and that has been baselined for the next three years.

“We have the money to deal with this but we are on record as saying that resources and money for the entirety of policing is under a little strain.”

Police Federation chair Liam Kelly said the “escalation in the threat level is justified”.

Mr Kelly added: “One might reasonably ask why it was downgraded to ‘substantial’ in the first place when it was clear dissident republican groups were still actively wedded to causing murder and destruction.”