The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed tonight that more than 200 officers from a scrapped reserve unit are to be temporarily retained to help combat the dissident republican threat.
The expected move was announced hours after six police officers were injured by blast and petrol bomb throwers as they dealt with a security alert in Lurgan, Co Armagh.
A total of 225 officers from the Full Time Reserve (FTR) were due to enter a nine-month period of training in June to prepare them for losing their jobs when their unit is formally wound up in March next year.
But Chief Constable Matt Baggott will now ask them to remain on front line duty right up to the disbandment date, and then enter the training programme — a move that will cost around £6 million.
Mr Baggott has insisted the timetable for scrapping the unit — a requirement of peace process policing reforms — will not change.
A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) spokeswoman said: "Further to recent discussions, the chief constable, subject to funding being secured, has agreed to retain 225 Full Time Reserve officers until March 31st, 2011.
"This is part of the overall policing strategy to provide further organisational resilience as the PSNI continues its drive to release officers back into front line service delivery. This move will also provide additional support to the increased operational work to disrupt the activities of criminal terrorists."
Extending the service of reservists was one of a number of options the PSNI was examining in a bid to tackle the upsurge in dissident activity.
Since November, when Mr Baggott confirmed he was pushing ahead with the reserve phase-out, there has been a dissident republican attack that seriously injured a Catholic officer and a series of car bombs outside police and court buildings.
Security alerts are increasingly commonplace and today six officers sustained minor injuries when a crowd of around 30 attacked them as they responded to a hoax alert in Lurgan. Two blast bombs and seven petrol bombs were thrown in the disturbances.
The Reserve decision is designed to ensure there is sufficient manpower in under-threat areas until the completion of an initiative to redeploy more regular officers from desk jobs onto the beat.
Around 400 regulars have already been repositioned to front line duties, with more to follow this summer.
The disbandment of the Reserve is set out under the terms of reforms that saw the PSNI replace the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) 10 years ago.
The recommendation is a controversial one and has been the source of intense political argument.
Unionists view the Reserve with deep admiration, crediting its officers for holding the line in the dark days of the Troubles.
Nationalists and republicans have a very different view, holding some reservists responsible for abuses against their communities during the conflict.
PA