Police recruits issued with guns

The move comes after the former acting police chief Colin Cramphorn, said the threat against student officers had "risen significantly".

He made the comments in a letter to the chairman of the Policing Board, Professor Desmond Rea, a few weeks ago.

The BBC has obtained a copy of that letter which was also sent to Security Minister Jane Kennedy.

Mr Cramphorn said in the light of "recent incidents" a threat assessment had been undertaken.

A decision was then made to elevate the threat against the student officers to that of a "general threat" status.

He added: "This will in effect mean that student officers will have access to personal protection weapons if requested."

He said the necessary training was being made available.

"While I appreciate this is not in the spirit of 'Patten' it is entirely necessary due to the present security environment," he said.

"Human rights legislation means that the threat to the lives of student officers must outweigh any other consideration and consequently necessitates this course of action."

'Fast-tracked'

The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed that the personal protection weapons had been issued.

Its senior director of resources, Joe Stewart, said applications for weapons were being fast-tracked.

SDLP Policing Board member Alex Attwood said 39 recruits had expressed concern.

"There is a responsibility to ease that threat and give those under threat better protection," he said.

"This is the minimum we should be doing and the minimum that people in Northern Ireland will recognise should be done in order to give those who are brave the opportunity to do what they want to do, namely police our society."

Mr Attwood insisted none of the trainees he had spoken to was considering leaving.

DUP Policing Board member Ian Paisley Jnr said the increase in the terrorist threat was something everyone should be concerned about.

"We've got to recognise that real security measures must be put in place to tackle terrorism," he said.

In April, dissident republican paramilitaries were behind a bomb attack at the police training college at Garnerville in east Belfast.

Several weeks later there was an attempt to kill a young Catholic officer in Ballymena, County Antrim.

A new recruitment campaign for the police service is currently under way.

The figures will be studied to see what impact, if any, the increased terror threat has on responses from the Catholic community.