Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr was simply being realistic when he recognised the difficulties involved in obtaining significant information from the public about the activities of paramilitary groups.
In an interview which we publish today, Mr Kerr said that, while the PSNI received considerable support over drug offences and general crime, there was still a fear associated with inquiries which were `perceived to be security based or political.’
He said that the same reticence applied on both sides of the sectarian divide, but there can be no doubt that developments linked to dissident republicans leave many people deeply alarmed over the prospect of being branded as an `informer’.
It needs to be stressed that the vast majority of nationalists were appalled by the evil murder of prison officer Adrian Ismay in east Belfast earlier this month but felt a sense of helplessness in its aftermath.
Although those who can assist with the police investigation have a firm responsibility to do so, dissident organisations are always likely to go to enormous lengths to cover their tracks.
Mr Kerr made a valid point when he said that the use of paramilitary violence needs to be addressed not only through policing methods but also through education and economic investment.
If individuals are motivated by a twisted desire to kill members of the PSNI or the prison service, then they must expect to be dealt with firmly by the courts and to receive lengthy custodial sentences.
However, if they have the slightest interest in political progress or the welfare of their own neighbourhoods, they should be prepared to commit themselves solely to constitutional means.
There have been some indications that smaller republican groups may be prepared to turn their attentions towards community issues, and, even if they do not initially contest elections, this is a process which deserves to be encouraged.
If they concentrate instead on the use of the gun and the bomb, they should realise that they will create nothing other than human misery in all sections of our society.
The dignified official ceremonies which have taken place over recent days to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising have demonstrated Ireland has changed beyond all recognition since the events of 1916.
All traditions and viewpoints are fully capable of being accommodated within the structures subsequently established by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
What can be said with certainty is that there is no cause which can justify the taking of a single further human life in any part of our country.
