Dissidents still pose major threat, says Orde

The PSNI Chief Constable, Mr Hugh Orde, has said dissident republicans still pose a significant danger to security in Northern…

The PSNI Chief Constable, Mr Hugh Orde, has said dissident republicans still pose a significant danger to security in Northern Ireland following the attempted car-bomb attack on a police station in Co Fermanagh.

"If you look at the work we have done and the Garda Síochána have done, there are a lot of dissidents in prisons north and south of the Border. "But, in a way, the more successful we become, the more dangerous that small minority becomes," he said.

The bomb, which was left outside a police station in the village of Roslea on Saturday night, could have caused considerable damage and even loss of life, according to the senior investigating officer.

Chief Insp John Maxwell described the attack as "completely reckless". He said: "This was quite a substantial device, 130 lbs of home-made explosives packed into a beer keg, which, if it had gone off, could have caused substantial damage to property or injury to people in the area or worse."

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Residents of the village had to be evacuated from their homes as army bomb experts dealt with the device. Police said the bomb was crude but capable of causing widespread destruction.

A community centre was made available to residents, who were forced to wait for hours before being allowed home. A controlled explosion was carried out before midnight. - (PA)