Welcome for retention of full-time Reserve

Chief Constable Matt Baggott will retain 225 full-time Reserve officers until March 2011 as part of an overall PSNI strategy to release officers back to front line service and to disrupt criminal terrorists.

A police spokeswoman stated: "Further to recent discussions the Chief Constable, subject to funding being secured, has agreed to retain 225 full-time Reserve officers until 31 March 2011.

"This is part of the overall policing strategy to provide further organisational resilience as the PSNI continues its drive to release officers back into front line service delivery.

"This move will also provide additional support to the increased operational work to disrupt the activities of criminal terrorists."

In Londonderry, Alderman William Hay welcomed the Chief Constable's decision saying every law-abiding person in Northern Ireland would welcome the move.

"I said several months ago that I thought the responsibility for this decision lay with the Chief Constable and him alone to decide whether the full-time Reserve needed to stay," Mr Hay said.

"I have all along said I wanted him to come to that decision for all the right reasons, and fully believe that politics and political decisions should be separate from any response by the Chief Constable, but unfortunately the Reserve are now needed because we have dissident Republicans posing a threat to the people of Northern Ireland and we also have a criminal element in Northern Ireland which is creating major problems.

"Having spoken on numerous occasions to members of the public it is my understanding that there is a widely held belief that there is a lack of police on the ground on occasions, as well as a lack of follow-up when it comes to crime and a lack of adequate response to people's concerns," Mr Hay said, adding: "I would like to think that the decision to retain the full-time Reserve will be welcomed by every law-abiding person in Northern Ireland."

Londonderry East MP, Alderman Gregory Campbell described the PSNI Reserve was "an essential element of dealing with the increased dissident republican threat".

"It was to be hoped and we campaigned for its extension because it is very clear to everyone that the terrorist threat is on the increase, and, therefore, all necessary Reserves need to be deployed to counter that threat.

"Hopefully the Chief Constable will be able to utilise all personnel available and, hopefully, it will not be necessary to deter dissident terrorism, but if it is then we hope the Chief Constable will deploy the necessary resources to deal with it," Mr Campbell said.