Police arrested five men in a series of dawn raids on houses across Lurgan last week, believed to have been in connection with dissident activity.

The arrests were made after raids on homes in Kilwilke, O’Neills Lane, Drumbeg and Aghacommon

The raids were aimed at disrupting Continuity IRA activity and it is believed one of the men arrested is a former republican prisoner.

All five were later released without charge.

Earlier this month Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde warned that the dissident threat was at its highest level for several years.

Senior police figures have voiced their concern over the dissident’s expertise in bomb making.

Police in Lurgan have also adopted a noticeable higher state of alert - with officers routinely wearing flak jackets.

Just last week a former UDR soldier was forced to flee his home in the face of intelligence information suggesting he was a target for the dissidents.

In recent years dissidents have carried out attacks in the Lurgan area, including a failed attempt to use a 250lb car bomb.

There was also an attempt to ambush police responding to a security alert on the railway line.

MLA Dolores Kelly said: “These dissidents have no support in the community and they are stopping decent ordinary people getting on with their lives.

“It is also important to note the police seem to have planned the raids better, they have listened to the criticisms of the past and considered the residents rights and conducted the raids in a sensible manner.”

Upper Bann DUP MLA Stephen Moutray welcomed the arrests: “The Chief Constable has rightly said that the dissident republican terrorist organisations should be pursued until the ends of the Earth. In that spirit, I welcome the fact that these people have been arrested.

“The DUP is a party committed to the rule of law and as such we welcome the strenuous efforts of the security forces to crush the Republican micro-groups. These criminal organisations want to drag Northern Ireland back into the bad old days of the past. The huge majority of people in both communities don’t want to go back there and it is vital that a strong and robust approach is adopted to deal with those who would seek to take us there. This is a welcome development and I hope the police will continue to take the fight to groups like the Continuity IRA.”