Suspicious devices’ left outside the homes of officers’ families

Lone Moor Road in Derry/Londonderry was shut down on Thursday (May 3) after Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers discovered a suspicious object. It is believed the device, which turned out to be an elaborate hoax, was left outside the home of a serving PSNI officer’s family by a dissident republican group. The incident marks the second such event in two days. On Wednesday (May 2), streets were closed in Derry’s Inishowen Gardens when a suspicious device was found outside the home of an officer’s family. Examination proved this object was also a hoax. PFNI chair Mark Lindsay urged politicians and communities to help the force stand up to the “reprehensible and cowardly” actions. He added: “I would ask all our political parties to express their outright disgust at these tactics and to work with the police to rid us of this scourge. “In some instances, elderly people are being intimidated and frightened. The community has to turn its back on these dissident no-hopers and tell them bluntly to get off their backs. “They must be given up and prosecuted in order to secure a better future for the communities they have blighted for far too long. “Officers will not be deflected or intimidated from their work. “Just when you think those behind these disruptive incidents couldn’t sink much lower, they remind us of just how lacking in humanity they are.” PSNI Superintendent Gordon McCalmont said: “I understand the frustration of the community and the disruption this has caused, but we are committed to keeping people safe – that is of paramount importance to us. “I can see how the reckless actions of a very small minority of people who clearly don’t care about the community have disrupted everyday life. “Therefore, I am appealing to anyone who can help identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice to contact us.”