ONE year ago today Northern Ireland was plunged into despair when the first officer of the PSNI was murdered.
Constable Stephen Carroll was on his way to help a member of the community in Lurgan when dissident republicans opened fire from the shadows, taking his life.
Only a couple of days earlier, two young soldiers – Sapper Mark Quinsey and Sapper Patri
ck Azimkar – were brutally gunned down outside Massareene Barrack in Antrim. Again it was the evil work of dissidents.
Since then the various strands of dissident republicanism have carried out more bombings, shootings and shows of strength, and last week murdered a man in Londonderry.
The dissidents have maintained the intensity of their campaign over the past year and the death toll would have been much higher but for good fortune.
Today, as our politicians debate the controversial topic of devolving policing and justice, we should all stop to think about the work the security forces carry out on our behalf.
And in particular the role they have in combating terrorism.
They are brave men and women who have served this society through some grim days and sadly there are many hundreds of other families who share the pain of those most recently affected by violence.
By our words and actions, we must demonstrate without equivocation that we support all those involved in policing and justice at the sharp end.
