Extra police called in for election day

An extra 2,000 police officers have been called in to protect tomorrow’s election to the Northern Ireland Assembly amid fears of new terror attacks.

With the British and Irish Governments looking for a resounding vote in favour of the Good Friday Agreement, security chiefs believe dissident republicans plotting to wreck the peace process may target polling stations.

The alert intensified after a bomb packed with 60lbs of explosives partially detonated at an army base in Co Tyrone.

Chief constable Hugh Orde warned there could be further attacks and pledged to mount a major operation to thwart the terrorists.

He said: “Over 2,000 officers will be deployed tomorrow in addition to the ordinary police response to make sure those turning up at the election can take their vote seriously.

“We take their vote seriously and we’re determined to protect them.”

Private security firms have also been called in to patrol the grounds of schools and halls where nearly 1.1 million people are registered to vote.

With at least six hours of fading light and darkness during polling time in the winter election, security chiefs fear the terrorists could have the perfect cover for a strike on any of 612 polling stations.

South Down, Co Armagh and south Fermanagh are the areas where specialist surveillance operations will be staged as part of the security measures.

During the 2001 General Election shots were fired at a centre in Draperstown, Co Derry.

Police believe the bombing in Dungannon, where two officers and a man narrowly escaped injury, could be the prelude to further attacks.

The Continuity IRA, a violent republican faction opposed to the Sinn Féin leadership of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, planted the home made explosives at the barracks.

Gunmen also opened fire on a police station in Armagh as tensions soared.

Days earlier the dissidents tried to lure police into a bomb trap in Newcastle, Co Down last week.

And the fear is that they may attempt to embarrass republican leaders and overshadow one of the most critical elections in Northern Ireland for decades.

David Trimble’s Ulster Unionists are under enormous pressure from the Rev Ian Paisley’s fiercely anti-Agreement Democratic Unionists.

With the DUP threatening to emerge as the largest unionist party after the Stormont poll, British Prime Minister Tony Blair effectively urged the public to back candidates in favour of the five year-old Good Friday deal.

A major shift in the balance of power within nationalism could also take place. Sinn Féin is hoping to repeat its Westminster success and overtake Mark Durkan’s SDLP.

Regardless of the outcome, Mr Orde vowed to halt any attempt by dissident terrorists to hijack the election.

“It’s a cause for concern but we have said already we’re worried about the threat to policing and to local communities in the build-up to the elections,” he said.

“We are pretty clear this is dissident republican activity.

“They are determined to disrupt all the good work that’s going on in the peace process that’s moving forward. We are determined to police them out.”