SAOIRSE32

:::u.tv:::
**Via Newshound
7 Jan 09

Almost 30 police officers have applied to move home in the last 12 months because of threats from paramilitaries.

UTV can reveal that these threats have not only come from dissident republicans, but also from loyalist paramilitaries.

According to the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, 29 serving police officers and a `significant` number of retired officers have applied to be re-housed in the last 12 months.

So far 20 serving officers have been moved out of their homes.

Chairman of the Police Federation Terry Spence said: “Whilst of course the majority of those evacuations mainly originate from dissident republican activity, it would be fair to say there has been an increase in the number of evacuations as a result of loyalist paramilitaries and this is most unacceptable.”

Mr Spence would not put an exact figure on the loyalist numbers, only saying it was `several`.

“It would be fair to say most of the terrorist activity from the loyalist side directed at the police is coming from the UDA.”

But Frankie Gallagher of the Ulster Political Research group, whose party is linked to the UDA, denied this:

” Absolutely not. We`re meeting the police on a regular basis and we totally condemn any attacks on any members of the community in Northern Ireland. Those times are gone.

“We are building a new future for everyone and I am willing to meet the Police Federation to find out about these statistics are, where they are coming from and whose doing it and lets stand shoulder to shoulder to face those people down whoever is doing this.”

`Misconceived appeasement`

Last month the Northern Ireland Secretary of State Shaun Woodward announced plans to give the UDA and UVF another year to decommission their weapons.

The deadline to renew legislation for this process is next month and the police federation plans to stop this from happening.

They are sending a letter to the Secretary of State condemning the move and highlighting their belief that the UDA and UVF have no intention of surrendering their weapons, unless forced to do so.

The letter also brands Shaun Woodward`s move to extend the loyalist decommissioning deadline as “misconceived and undisguised appeasement.”

But PUP leader Dawn Purvis, whose party is aligned to the UVF said:

“I think the Police Federation, in criticising the Secretary of State for extending the decommissioning legislation, are misguided in their views - because I think what we have to do is take every opportunity that is available in order to try and achieve decommissioning all illegal weapons.”