NOT ENOUGH POLICE FOR A HARD BORDER

THERE aren’t enough police to protect a hard Irish border, their representative body warned yesterday.

A no-deal Brexit would cost tens of millions of pounds to secure the porous 300-mile frontier, the Police Federation for Northern Ireland said.

Mark Lindsay, the chairman of the federation, who represent Northern Ireland’s police officers, said his members would be “sitting ducks” for terrorists if they had to protect customs officers at crossing points.

He added: “Numbers are already painfully thin on the ground and, if hundreds were required along a porous border, the situation would inevitably become intolerable and unmanageable.

“No one wants a hard border, but if the politicians fail to reach an accord or compromise, something that is a lot less relaxed than what we currently enjoy will be the consequence.”

Lindsay said 730 PSNI officers – 11 per cent – are eligible to retire next year, and a further 331 can retire in the following two years.

The frontier between Northern Ireland and the Republic encompasses largely remote areas and contains about 275 crossing points.

It was one of the most dangerous areas for the police and the Army to operate during the Troubles.

Lindsay said: “It would be an act of complete folly to order our men and women to undertake static duties in extremely exposed areas.”