Security tight for arrival of new PSNI chief Baggott

A major security operation will be in place across the North today amid fears dissident republicans intend to mark the arrival of the new chief constable with violence.

With police intelligence suggesting attacks are being plotted on Matt Baggott’s first day at work, patrols have been stepped up and checkpoints established across the North.

The former Leicestershire chief is taking on the PSNI's top job following the departure of Hugh Orde last month.

The police crackdown was launched on Friday night after rioting broke out in Co Armagh following the jailing of three local dissidents on explosives charges.

Sporadic disorder continued throughout the weekend in Lurgan and Craigavon, with a number of vehicles hijacked and torched.

The scenes that will greet Mr Baggott, 50, in Belfast, will resemble something from the height of the Troubles as the police attempt to ensure the day passes off without incident.

Basil McCrea, an Ulster Unionist member of the NI Policing Board – the PSNI’s oversight body – said the dissidents would attempt to challenge the new chief’s authority from the outset.

“He will be tested, there will be no doubt of that,” said the Lagan Valley Assembly member. “But he has the board‘s full backing and we just hope he can deliver for the whole of Northern Ireland.”

The growing threat posed by the dissidents is just one issue in the packed in-tray awaiting Mr Baggott.

The father-of-three will assume command of the PSNI when the force is having to balance multimillion-pound funding cuts with growing public demands for more officers on the beat.

He also takes the reins ahead of the politically sensitive transfer of security responsibilities from Westminster to Stormont.

Add to that a looming court order to hand over top secret reports on alleged Royal Ulster Constabulary “shoot to kill” incidents during the Troubles and the ramifications of an internal performance review that flagged serious shortcomings in day-to-day policing within the present day PSNI, it is clear Orde’s successor will not have much of a honeymoon period.