DUP Assemblyman Jimmy Spratt yesterday raised the issue with outgoing Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde at a meeting of the Policing Board following fears among growing numbers of ex-security force members who have had their PPWs withdrawn by the PSNI.

He said that the party's constituency offices across the Province had been deluged with calls from former RUC and Armed Forces personnel who have lost their PPWs because the PSNI do not have details of a specific threat against their life.

Mr Spratt, a former chairman of the Police Federation, said: "Sir Hugh Orde appears to still be persistent in going down the route they are now travelling on.
"I very clearly said to him today that they really are sending out mixed messages.

"They are saying there is a severe security threat from dissidents on the one hand, especially in specific areas like Fermanagh and Lurgan."

Mr Spratt, who will meet with Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland next week to discuss the issue, added: "The onus is on the Chief Constable and senior officers to convince people that they are not under any threat or danger (if withdrawing their PPW)."
Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey said that last month he received a letter from the PSNI saying that it had completed a review into its PPW policy and decided that no change was needed.

"The PSNI's decision to leave the PPW policy unchanged completely ignores the genuine plight of those within Northern Ireland who have served their country through the years of the terrorist campaign.
"The findings of this report are unsatisfactory and do not address the issue.

"For the police to simply disregard genuine concern for personal safety, the very same genuine concern which led these people in the past to protect their country, is disgraceful."

A PSNI spokeswoman said: "The review created the situation where the good reason to possess a PPW was only considered under the criteria of specific threat to an individual.
"This review did not change how retiring police or prison officers were treated.

"On retirement one grant period would be automatically allowed to those who applied to possess a firearm as a PPW without the need to satisfy the specific threat criteria.

"All further grant applications have, since the 2008 review, been subject to the specific threat assessment criteria. As the majority of these cases have not met the criteria there has been an increase in the number of refusals of further grant applications.

"However, if the certificate holder is unhappy with the decision taken by PSNI they still have recourse to appeal the decision to the Secretary of State through the NIO."