PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde has rejected criticism from DUP councillor and former chairman of the Police Federation in Northern Ireland Jimmy Spratt that police have lost the "intelligence war" against paramilitaries and criminals.
Mr Spratt yesterday queried how the PSNI was now saying that paramilitaries were not the main suspects for the £118,000 weekend robbery of Boots in Belfast when, he said, police had been "warning that a plot was ongoing to carry out a Northern Bank-style robbery in either Belfast or Newry for some days now.
"How, so suddenly after the Boots robbery are the PSNI saying that paramilitary involvement is not a major line of inquiry? This robbery has all the hallmarks of another major paramilitary robbery," said Mr Spratt, who was the unsuccessful DUP candidate in South Belfast in the Westminster election.
"The Northern Ireland public have a right to a proper policing service. The facts are that the clear message coming across on the doorsteps during the recent election campaign was that the public are fast losing confidence in the police service because of a poor and ineffective response rate for assistance.
"It is abundantly clear that the PSNI have lost the intelligence war against terrorists and gangsters and are apparently now incapable of preventing crime, but can merely provide a 'fire service response' to victims of crime if resources are available. The chief constable and his senior officers must bear full responsibility for the situation," added Mr Spratt.
However, Mr Orde said the drop in crime illustrated that the intelligence service was making a contribution.
"I'm very proud of my officers that work in the intelligence-gathering systems here . . . It is a very competent, capable and comprehensive system. We have one of the most advanced intelligence systems in the world.
"You do not reduce crime by 24 per cent in terms of robbery, you do not reduce burglary by 13 per cent if your intelligence system is not fit for purpose."
He made his comments at yesterday's unveiling of the PSNI's first dedicated high-tech police helicopter costing £3.5 million. Previously police had relied on the British army for helicopter assistance.
Sinn Féin Assembly member Alex Maskey accused the DUP of blaming republicans for the robbery at Boots "in a bid to further stall the political process".
"It seems that there are those in the DUP who now realise that any 'fair deal' will have to involve Sinn Féin.
"Uncomfortable with this reality, senior figures within the DUP are seeking to jump on any and every incident which occurs to erroneously blame republicans and further stall the political process. This cannot be allowed to continue," said Mr Maskey.
The SDLP policing spokesman and Assembly member Alex Attwood accused Mr Spratt and the DUP of pursuing a "narrow agenda", of "playing to people's worst fears" and misrepresenting the facts.
"They have little to say when crime figures are reducing. They say little about the successes of intelligence-led policing, which no doubt includes the recent closing down of fuel-smuggling plants and the extortion racket in north Belfast in the last two weeks," Mr Attwood said.