We don't need Army back-up now: Orde

The North's police chief expressed confidence today that his officers can cope without British Army support.

Hugh Orde revealed that there had been no reliance at all on back-up from the Army for many months.

“We don’t need them any more,” he said.

The Army’s role in the North – Operation Banner – ends at midnight after 38 years.

The ending of the IRA campaign and the massive strides towards a normal society means troops are no longer needed on the streets and the longest campaign in British military history can end.

From now on there will be no more than 5,000 troops garrisoned in the North.

Crucially, although they will be based in the North, they will not be for use there, but preparing for duties in such places as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chief Constable Orde said the change to normal policing had been introduced over the past five years.

“For many months now we have not relied at all on our military colleagues for support to deliver normal policing.

"Indeed, for the past two years we have not deployed any military during the marching season – in stark contrast to 2005 when over 1,000 military colleagues were right on the frontline working very hard with my officers in some of the worst rioting we have seen in the history of Northern Ireland,” he said.

He expressed confidence that he would not need to call on the Army again for such back-up.

“The world has moved on very quickly in Northern Ireland. Policing is in absolute control of policing, which you would expect to see anywhere in the United Kingdom.

“We have been fortunate to be able rely on additional resources. We don’t need them any more.”

He added: “It suits us, it suits the military – they are very busy in other theatres of war. This place is very different now. It has never been a war, but what we have now is a situation where normal policing can continue.”

However, he said the Police Service of Northern Ireland had to be mindful that there was still a “very real dissident republican threat” to the North.

There was much normal policing across the North, but not everywhere.

“There are still places where, sadly, a very small number of people are determined to wreck all that has been achieved,” he said.

“We have to be very mindful of that threat – but we can cope with that and we are delivering an effective police service.”