Federation thanks community and political leaders for support

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland has thanked the people of Omagh and the main political parties for their support following the attempted murder of DCI John Caldwell last Wednesday.

PFNI Chair, Liam Kelly, said: “We saw this entire community and the five political parties speaking with one voice in their condemnation of the terrorists who were responsible for the barbaric gun attack.

“It was heartening to witness this level of support for John and his family and for the work that police officers do on behalf of our entire community.

“I appreciate the many expressions of support we received. It is heartening and reassuring to know that the people we serve and all the political parties view the actions of these terrorists with abhorrence and disgust.

“These cowards are bereft of any trace of humanity. They think that by targeting our officers they are advancing their warped agenda when the reality is they are achieving nothing.

“Collectively, we have to do all we can to rid ourselves of these dangerous and delusional gangs of thugs.

“The public outpouring of support, such as what happened in Omagh at the weekend, is heartening and positive. No cause, ideology or campaign justifies any callous acts of brutality.

“What we have to do now is encourage as many people as possible to help and support the detectives to track down the attackers and bring them before the Courts. That would be the best possible way of expressing thanks to John for his steadfastness and commitment to rid our civic society of the ‘cancer’ of dissident terrorism and gangsterism.”