The DUP has described the slow response of the PSNI to dissident republican violence as a "massive concern".
DUP leader Peter Robinson said it was for PSNI chief constable Matt Baggott to decide whether more money or manpower were necessary to fight the threat.
Police Federation chairman Terry Spence warned yesterday that the PSNI’s lack of resources means Northern Ireland is “sleepwalking” back into violence.
Mr Robinson said today he was “massively concerned” about the slow response to the recent bomb attack on a PSNI station in Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh. “The public expects the police to be there when there are difficulties that have to be faced,” he said.
The barracks at Newtownhamilton was attacked for the second time in a fortnight last week. The fire service evacuated the area when crew arrived before police.
Mr Spence said yesterday police were embarrassed by how long it took to respond and called for a review of manpower levels. “Unless there is a massive step change in the security response we will gradually sleepwalk into a renewal of a full-blown, murderous terrorist campaign,” he said.
From June the police will no longer have 350 full-time reserve officers available and by next April there will be 800 fewer frontline officers than at present.
The federation called for a halt to the phasing out of the reserve and a ring-fencing of experienced officers who are also due to leave.
Mr Robinson said he would support any call from Mr Baggott for more resources.
“Anybody who is living in Northern Ireland will want to take very seriously the experienced view of someone who is representing policemen on the ground,” he said. "If the chief constable requires additional resources and he has not got them on the ground then there are other alternatives for back up that we can use.”