Dissidents could become bigger than PIRA – claim
AN angry full time reserve officer last night questioned the decision of Chief Constable Matt Baggott to dispense with their services when he believes dissidents “have the capability to become a bigger and more determined force than the PIRA”.
The serving full time reservist, who is in his 40s, said he and his peers now believe their “scalps are being claimed for political gain” against the backdrop of the worsening security situation.
Speaking last night, the officer, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he knew that at least 300 FTR officers want to remain in their jobs rather than being made redundant.
He said they were aghast that they were being cast adrift in spite of the security situation where he and his peers get “threats on a daily basis, messages to leave their homes and massive threats in the areas in which they are patrolling”.
He said: “On top of that we have seen three people killed in the last year, the partner of an officer who escaped a car bomb and much much more.
“How much more do they have to do and still the Chief Constable comes up with the idea he can do without us.”
Earlier this month the Chief Constable confirmed that he will press on with plans to phase out the PSNI’s full time reserve within 16 months.
At the height of the Troubles there were more than 3,000 members of the reserve, now there are about 440.
The DUP had listed retaining the reserve as a confidence building measure necessary for the devolution of policing and justice.
However, Mr Baggott has said there was no operational need to keep it.
The FTR officer said that, looking back at the history books, when the PIRA started up, “the messages given out by politicians then are much the same as the ones being given out today”.
“Then the PIRA turned into one of the most dangerous organisations in the world,” he said. “I think the dissidents have the capability of growing into an organisation more dangerous than the PIRA given they have people there to guide them and train them quickly.
“There is no Army support now for the police and if this organisation gets its act together – and it is only by good luck they haven’t – there are only youngsters in the PSNI with no understanding of how to deal with violence.”
The police officer said he and his peers always knew the full time reserve had a shelf life.
“I mean you have to understand this has been ongoing for a long time since the fundamental review which was the precursor to the Patten report. We were told that in peacetime there would no longer be any need for the FTR.
“Then we had the Patten report which came up with the recommendation that when politics had stabilised and we moved into a peaceful environment we would be phased out, and we accepted that it was going to happen.
“However, over the last year we have seen the security situation plummet through the floor and still the Chief Constable advises it is possible to do away with 440 officers with vast experience and knowledge – all of this at a time when the Prime Minister holds out an olive branch that he could make the finance available to retain the full time reserve on a year on year basis.”
After spending 26 years in the FTR, the police officer says he is now for the first time in his life going to be unemployed.
“I am going to be broke. I will get my severance and that will go into my mortgage and I will not be entitled to a pension. I will be out looking for a job.
“The youngest in the FTR, in their 30s, will have spent at least 14 years in the service. We are going to be up against youngsters in the job market just coming out of school.
“On top of that any future employer has to look at us with the police baggage and whether they want to run the risk of employing us.”
