'Police station car bomb takes me back to working through the Troubles'

A bomb at a police station has heightened security fears for civilians who work for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), their union representative has said.

Tracey Godfrey, who has worked for the police for 42 years, said the explosion at Dunmurry PSNI Station triggered memories of working through the Troubles.

She said it was a civilian contractor, not a police officer, who raised the alarm when the bomb was left at the station inside a hijacked car on Saturday night.

However, she said police officers, civilians and contractors would just "have to be vigilant and carry on".

"My heart just sank... especially whenever I saw the footage of the car exploding," she told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"It just takes me back to working through the Troubles. It does trigger those memories for you and it does make you more fearful."

In addition to her civilian staff role, Godfrey also represents the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (Nipsa) union as its departmental secretary for the PSNI.

She said the Dunmurry bomb was "an attack on the whole community".

"And please don't forget that police and police staff, our contractors, are part of that community as well," Godfrey added.

In addition to its more than 6,300 police officers, the PSNI employs in excess of 2,000 civilian staff.

These workers carry out roles including answering 999 calls, assisting with crime prevention, communications work and photography.

"We play a very important role in policing," Godfrey said.

"We're all integral, we're one 'Team PSNI'. Everybody plays a part."

In the aftermath of the Dunmurry bombing, the PSNI said they believed dissident republicans had carried out the attack.

In a statement to the Irish News on Tuesday, the New IRA said it was behind the bomb and it also threatened more attacks on the homes of PSNI employees.

"You always know in the back of your mind you have to be vigilant and that there is a possibility of you being singled out for some kind of violence," Godfrey said.

"You do push it to the back of your mind, and this has just brought it all to the fore to be quite honest."

During the Troubles, more than 300 members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), which predated the PSNI, were killed in attacks.

"I have 42 years' service, so things have changed dramatically over the years," Godfrey said.

"But attacks on the Police Service are still there - you still have to remind people to check under their cars, check your routes.

"And I suppose the new factor – well, fairly new from whenever I started work - is social media."

To cope with the ongoing threat, Godfrey said PSNI civilian staff have the same access to support services from their employer as police officers.

"We do feel well protected but it's hard to protect against an unknown entity", she admitted.

"You have to be vigilant and carry on as you always have done, trying to have a personal life as well as a professional life."

Northern Ireland's Justice Minister Naomi Long said she was "completely horrified" when she heard about the bomb attack.

She paid tribute to the civilian worker who was first to raise the alarm.

"I think the fact they did so effectively and efficiently is remarkable," she told the BBC's Nolan Show.

She said was clear that it was "a significant explosion and that real harm could have been caused".

Long added she was "conscious always" of the security threat in Northern Ireland, but, "by and large", the police have been able to "suppress and disrupt" such activity.

"But it is a stark reminder, when one of those attacks gets through, of how serious it is."

She told the programme there are still some people who want to "take us back to the dark days of the Troubles, many of whom are barely old enough to remember what it was like to live through that time".

The minster added: "Northern Ireland remains one of the safest places in these islands to live and we shouldn't lose sight of that because of individual incidents, though we should never be complacent, given our past."

Speaking at a press conference in Limavady on Wednesday, First Minister Michelle O'Neill accused the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of "electioneering" after criticising Sinn Féin over its level of support for policing in Northern Ireland.

O'Neill said there was "no question" of her party's support for the PSNI and said the issue was "too serious to play games with".

Earlier this week, DUP leader Gavin Robinson said Sinn Fein needed to do more than condemn attacks on police officers and that the party needed to demonstrate "visual and vocal support" for the organisation.

On Wednesday, O'Neill accused the DUP of "spoofing".

"This is more about distraction and deflection, it's more about election politics but this issue is too serious to be playing games with. I call on the DUP to cut out the nonsense," said the first minister.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said it wasn't just unionism raising concerns about support for the PSNI but the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher.

"If the chief constable is indicating he needs more support from political parties we need to listen, the first minister needs to listen," she said.

"It's not just about standing shoulder to shoulder when these big issues happen... it's also about showing that support to the police day in, day out."