More than 20 police officers and their families in Northern Ireland have been intimidated into leaving their homes by dissident republicans since January.
The policy of pushing ahead with downsized security despite the danger has seriously weakened the capability of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to respond, a group which represents rank and file officers said.
Last week a barracks at Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh, was attacked for the second time in a fortnight.
Police Federation chairman Terry Spence said: “The attacks reflect a growing confidence and competence among dissident republicans and that they are aware that the police are not responding sufficiently robustly to deter them.
“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.”
Since January there have been 18 bomb and mortar attacks, 18 gun attacks, an officer seriously and permanently maimed, and 24 officers and their families intimidated from their homes, the vast majority by dissident republicans.
Mr Spence added: “The latest incident last week, when Newtownhamilton Police Station was attacked for the second time in two weeks, illustrates all too clearly the ineffectiveness of our response as a police service to protecting the community.”
The Police Federation has written an open letter to all ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive.
“The federation believes that Chief Constable Matt Baggott... is seriously constrained by lack of resources, a situation which seems to be the result of an inherited determination to portray Northern Ireland as a ‘normalised’ society despite the evidence to the contrary,” the letter said.
“It is quite obvious that the policy of pushing ahead with normalisation has seriously weakened the capability of the police service to respond.”
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.
The police have been criticised for the amount of time taken to respond to security alerts. In Newtownhamilton firemen evacuated residents.
The PSNI has said officers are being cautious because of the danger of secondary devices.
PA