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Editor's Viewpoint: Where does rule of law begin and end?

The former very senior PSNI officer writing in this newspaper today has echoed the concerns of many in this province about the capability of the police to effectively counter the current dissident republican threat.

The fact that it was firemen, not police officers, who had to evacuate residents in Newtownhamilton from the vicinity of a bomb, cemented the notion in many people's heads that the south Armagh border area is a 'go slow' area, if not a 'no go' area.

The stunt by the Chief Constable, Matt Baggott, to make a televised stroll through Crossmaglen, apparently to demonstrate how the police can operate everywhere, has been shown to be something of a farce when police are unable to respond quickly to real terrorist threats. Of course, PSNI officers must take care and precaution when responding to an apparent terrorist incident in case it is merely a lure into an ambush. But as the former policeman - who served through some of the worst years of the Troubles - points out in his article, ordinary citizens cannot be abandoned so that police lives can be protected. He is right to suggest Newtownhamilton was a tactical victory for the terrorists, throwing open to question the effectiveness of current security policy.

The about-turn on the future of the 200 full-time police reservists - they are being kept on for another nine months after being originally due to begin resettlement training in June - smacks of a hint of panic. The public want to see more police officers on the ground, they want to see quick and effective response to terrorist attacks and they want to feel confident that the PSNI can provide security.

Above all, they need to be assured that there are no hiding places for terrorists and that police can, and will, operate in every part of Northern Ireland. At the moment that assurance is absent.

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