Ulster Unionist MLA and Policing Board member, Ross Hussey, has raised the issue of the recovery of "dissident" weaponry with the Chief Constable at the monthly public meeting of the Policing Board.
The West Tyrone MLA said;
‘The recent recovery of an RPG rocket launcher in West Belfast has raised significant concerns over the origin of weaponry which is still available to dissident republicans. It was important to be able to ask the Chief Constable directly about this area.’
‘The truth is that the PSNI have made clear to me that there have been a wide variety of firearms and munitions recovered where assessments would indicate that they originated from other republican criminal groupings. Of course this also casts serious doubt over just how complete was the decommissioning process which the DUP claimed to have secured before entering government with Sinn Fein in 2007.’
‘This is a sinister development in the potential capabilities of dissident republicans which will cause concern in communities throughout Northern Ireland and tribute must be paid to the PSNI and Army Technical Officers for their continued courage in facing down this threat.”