Shooting of PSNI officer was a terror attack on UK democracy

My prayers are also with every member of the PSNI at this time as when one member is attacked it is an attack on them all and the repercussions will be felt throughout the PSNI in Northern Ireland. I have written to the Foreign Office and our prime minister to ask what her intentions are as to dealing with this terror attack on British security forces.

In any other part of the UK these actions would be cited as a terrorist attack on British forces and indeed that is what they are and how they must be dealt with. We refuse to harken back to the dark days of attacks on police being considered as the norm – they are not normal, they cannot be acceptable and they must be treated as they are – terrorist attacks against our security forces and against us all. I have full confidence in the way our PSNI will investigate this matter but I believe that a role should be played centrally in order for us not to dull down this attack on democracy not simply in Northern Ireland but on the UK as a whole.

Jim Shannon, MP Strangford