Baggott ‘fears’ another officer murder
The Chief Constable has said he is deeply worried about the very real risk that another police officer could be killed under his watch.
Matt Baggott’s comments come as detectives continue to question a man over the placing of a 500lb van bomb in Newry almost a week ago.
The 26-year-old was detained in the Rostrevor area and is being questioned by detectives in Antrim.
The Chief Con said that the PSNI are determined to get on top of the dissident threat, but that recent events prove that this is easier said than done.
“We are working full-on, all the time to stop, prevent, deter and bring people to justice. The threat has been very real and very severe.”
Detectives investigating the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr are still questioning three men over that attack and discovery of the bomb factory in Co Tyrone.
It is less than two weeks since Constable Ronan Kerr was killed outside his home in Omagh.
Matt Baggott said that the show of support for the police at the 25-year-old’s funeral was “unprecedented”.
“If you listen to the outpouring at Ronan’s funeral they are determined that these people do not get their way. I don’t think you could get a more universal condemnation of what they do.”
The Chief Con said he does not sense that people have been deterred from signing up to the PSNI in the wake of PC Kerr’s murder.
“This is a world leading police service that has been through enormous change. We have people stacking up to join us. I don’t see signs of people wanting to leave.”
