Regret As North's Police Reserve Ends

The disbandment of the North's police Full Time Reserve (FTR) is wrong - as the necessary conditions to allow its dissolution have not yet been met, the Chairman of the Police Federation of Northern Ireland has said.

Terry Spence has today claimed that the country cannot afford to lose 270 frontline officers while terrorist activity continues.

His comments, published in the Belfast News Letter, comes as all current serving full time reservists finish operational duties.

This happened at the end of the financial year yesterday with them about to begin a period of up to nine months retraining for alternative employment.

It has been claimed that many of the reservists affected fail to meet the criteria for early payment of a police pension and are understood to be preparing their own legal challenge to the redundancy decision.

The remaining officers had been due to commence retraining last June but were asked to remain on frontline duty right up to yesterday's final disbandment.

The DUP Policing Board member Jimmy Spratt has also been commenting and said: "Those [FTR] members who served our community have a reservoir of knowledge and experience.

"Many officers served during the darkest days of the terrorist campaign in Northern Ireland at considerable risk to themselves and their families.

"Some FTR officers paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe from the terrorists. We must never forget that," he said.

"I disagreed with the Chief Constable and Senior Management Team's decision to move the FTR from front line duties.

"Our communities must be kept safe and the dissident threat stamped out, the decision to remove the Full Time Reserve was not one the DUP assented to but it was the Chief Constable's decision to make.

"I praise all of those who served in the FTR down through the years, many of them are my friends and I know that following retraining they will make a valuable contribution to Northern Ireland," said Mr. Spratt.

Alex Elliott, the TUV Candidate for Fermanagh South Tyrone was also commenting recently.

He said: "The Police Service needs to be prepared for the ever increasing threat.

"Making the FTR redundant means there will be an upsurge of terror and a need to recommence cover military operations as well as technical surveillance methods against criminals who are determined to bring conflict back to our streets," he said.

Ulster Unionist Party Policing Board members, Basil McCrea and Leslie Cree, have also expressed their gratitude to the FTR members following the conclusion of their duties as of the end of March.

NI Policing Spokesman Basil McCrea commented:"I have always called for the members of the Full Time Reserve to be treated with the respect they deserve and I have also stressed that this should be an operational decision and not a decision made under political pressure."

North Down Candidate Leslie Cree commented: "The Full Time Reserve played an essential part in the policing of Northern Ireland during some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable. They are to be lauded for their commitment in protecting the people of Northern Ireland and the vast experience which they brought to the policing arena."

RIR Parade

Meanwhile, there are moves to honour other NI uniformed service personnel with senior unionists backing a fresh initiative to secure a homecoming parade in Enniskillen for soldiers from the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR).

The Royal British Legion (RBL) has sent a letter to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) issuing a formal invitation for such an event to occur in the Fermanagh town.

Adding their support to the RBL invitation, including the local UDR Association, are Ulster Unionist Leader Tom Elliott and DUP representative Arlene Foster

Mr Elliott said: "Given the evidently strong desire that exists within the community, and the support that would be made available by all the organisations that support the invitation, we firmly believe that the time is right for the homecoming parade to take place."

Former Executive Minister, Mrs Foster said: "There are many soldiers from Fermanagh and the surrounding area serving in the armed forces throughout the world. It would be very appropriate that they would have the opportunity to take part in a homecoming parade in Enniskillen."

It was confirmed this week that the Royal Irish Regiment will be honoured with homecoming parades in Ballymena, Lisburn and their home barracks town of Shrewsbury, but an MoD spokesman declined to comment further on the Co Fermanagh question.

(BMcC/KMcA)