Police to Increase Patrols Following Car Bomb Attack
Police will enhance patrols and establish additional checkpoints after a bomb attack targeted one of their stations on the outskirts of Belfast.
A car bomb detonated outside the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) station in Dunmurry on Saturday night after a delivery driver was coerced into transporting the device.
On Tuesday, Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck stated that the PSNI had "concerns about threats across Northern Ireland from dissident groups," and indicated that the public should expect increased vehicle checkpoints and more officers on patrol.
In a statement to the Irish News, the New IRA claimed responsibility for the attack.
The dissident republican group asserted that the attack was an attempt to kill police officers as they were leaving the building.
The driver's vehicle was hijacked at gunpoint in Twinbrook, west Belfast, shortly after 22:50 BST on Saturday.
The vehicle was then fitted with a gas cylinder device before the driver was ordered to deliver the bomb to the police station, where it exploded.
The device detonated while police were directing local residents to safety, including families with young babies.
The attack occurred in a densely populated area, near family homes where many children were already asleep.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Beck said the PSNI's role is "to keep communities safe and also our officers who bravely serve to protect these communities."
"We are taking every reasonable step to do so. However, we need the active support of our communities to do this."
The PSNI is treating the incident as attempted murder.
Northern Ireland's police chief described the event as a "deliberate, reckless and stupid attack."
Jon Boutcher praised the courage of officers who "rushed towards danger" to evacuate family homes close to Dunmurry police station.
Boutcher made these remarks during a press conference at Stormont, where the first and deputy first ministers and the Policing Board chairman also condemned the attack.
He referred to the bombers as "mindless idiots" and urged anyone with information to contact the PSNI "before these people actually harm or kill somebody."
Who Are Dissident Republicans?
The term "dissident republicans" refers to various individuals who reject the Good Friday Agreement.
The Provisional IRA, which was the main armed republican paramilitary group during the Troubles, declared a ceasefire prior to the agreement and officially ended its violent campaign in 2005.
Dissident republicanism consists of several groups that split from the Provisional IRA, including the Continuity IRA and New IRA.
These groups are significantly smaller than the Provisional IRA but possess access to high-calibre weapons and explosive devices.
