A Derry community worker has said that a threat issued against a number of council employees has come from dissident republicans.

Tommy McCourt was speaking after it emerged that a threat had been issued against Derry City Council’s Community Safety Wardens.

Council has said that it is taking the threats ‘very seriously’ and has taken the ‘necessary steps to ensure the safety of its staff’.

It is understood that the staff concerned will not be on duty until the matter is resolved and will be confined to desk duties for the time being.

Speaking to the Derry News, Tommy McCourt of the Rosemount Resource Centre (RRC), pictured above, said that the threat had been issued over allegations concerning the activities of Community Safety Wardens in relation to information being passed over to the police.

“The way it was put to us is that this is not a threat as such, but the allegations regarding the activities of the wardens needs to be clarified or a threat will be issued,” he said.

“The allegation is that certain information is being passed onto the police by the wardens, but not your usual information regarding anti-social behaviour and what have you.

“This was more related to security information, the kind of thing that would have been traditionally used by MI5 and intelligence services.”

Mr McCourt said that he did not believe that issuing a threat against the wardens was the way forward.

“The wardens have a job to do, and they need to the allowed to get on with that job, but these allegations need to be looked at and clarified," he said.

The Mayor of Derry Brenda Stevenson has called for the threat to be lifted immediately.

Meanwhile,  a spokesperson for Derry City Council said: "Council is aware of the alleged threat against its community safety partnership wardens and is taking the alleged threat very seriously and introducing appropriate measures to ensure the safety of its staff.
 
"Council is extremely disappointed and concerned that the community warden scheme has been targeted in this way considering the vitally important work its wardens to do protect the local community."

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