Linzi McLaren, who served in the Police Service of Northern Ireland for 18 years, said a dissident republican threat against relatives of Northern Ireland police could deter new recruits and was a new low that could lead to resignations. She also said that this threat will affect the very junior in service or those at the end of their career. Officers will now have to reassess their own personal security. ‘As police officers you're always very conscious of the threat towards you personally, and conscious of what has happened in the past,’ she told BBC Radio Ulster. ‘You never expect that something as personal as danger to your loved ones would be a consequence of your decision of being a police officer.’