Dissident republicans are dangerous but incapable of waging a sustained campaign of violence, the PSNI chief constable Sir Hugh Orde stated after the police warned of expected attacks from groups such as the Real IRA and Continuity IRA.
Virtually in tandem with the warning, five people were arrested by the PSNI in Newry and the Jonesborough area of south Armagh over yesterday and Tuesday. Two were released while three were still in custody and were being questioned about "serious crime", according to the police.
Republican Sinn Féin, which is linked to the Continuity IRA, condemned the arrests. "We in Republican Sinn Féin will continue to promote our programme for a true peace with justice in Ireland in spite of ongoing harassment of our members and supporters by those opposed to Irish freedom. We will not allow ourselves to be diverted from seeking a permanent end to the cancerous British presence in our country," said RSF's press officer, Richard Walsh.
Last week the police warned of the danger of dissident republican incendiary bomb attacks on businesses in Northern Ireland. Late on Tuesday night the PSNI said it was "stepping up operations across Northern Ireland to disrupt dissident republicans".
The PSNI in alerting the public to the "increased terrorist threat" said there would be a return to the use of vehicle checkpoints in an attempt to thwart the plans of the dissident groups. This level of alert has not been experienced in Northern Ireland in recent years.
As early as yesterday morning the tightening of security was evident in a number of areas including Belfast where there were traffic hold-ups. "The public are urged to be patient and co-operate with police in this operation which is designed to ensure the safety of the whole community, and to report any suspicious activity," the PSNI said in a statement.
Sir Hugh said the dissidents were "inept" and "disorganised" but nonetheless "dangerous". In November two PSNI officers, in Derry and Dungannon, Co Tyrone, were shot and wounded in Real IRA attacks.
Conversely, last month an Irish man and an Irish woman were arrested in a "sting" operation in Lithuania on suspicion of trying to buy a significant quantity of arms and explosives for the Real IRA.
Both police and politicians are anxious that Northern Ireland does not return to the days of daily checkpoints featuring heavily armed and armoured police, and more particularly should British army backup be required. The nature of this warning and the appeal for the public to be vigilant indicates that this threat is being taken seriously.
The dissident groups have been restructuring in recent months with a plan of stepping up activity, security sources have confirmed for some time. While previously heavily infiltrated by agents and informers sources warned that they were again intent on carrying out deadly and surprise attacks.
"We have a general warning of a threat which increased to the point where we had to go public," said Sir Hugh at Stormont yesterday. While the alert is significant Sir Hugh said the dissidents did not have the capability "to mount anything that's even close to being sustained".
"When you're a small cornered animal going in one direction, when Northern Ireland and indeed the universe is going in another, you lash out. What we are seeing is a group of disorganised but dangerous people lashing out - that's why we're concerned." MI5 since October had the prime role in gathering intelligence on the dissident republican groups.
