Police in the North have described an anti-recruitment campaign against them as 'cruel and disgusting'.
It's understood posters showing a PSNI officer injured by a car bomb have appeared in parts of Derry.
It comes amid an ongoing recruitment event by the force, as part of their efforts to recruit up to 600 new student officers.
Speaking about the anti-recruitment posters, PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said they had been created by "those who fear a fully representative police service".
Our response from Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton to posters circulating in the Derry/Londonderry area. pic.twitter.com/olK0l4UiGA
— Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) February 12, 2020
He said: "The cowards who hide behind this fake rhetoric and who ridicule the resolve, commitment and bravery of every person who works every day to keep each of you safe, have nothing to offer our society and should be condemned by all right thinking people.
"I would urge anyone who comes across these posters, either online or physically, not to share or circulate this material further."
Political parties in the North also joined the PSNI in condemning the posters and those behind them.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood called the posters "crass and offensive".
He argued: "These posters, which feature an image of Peadar Heffron, a PSNI officer who was seriously injured in an attack by dissident republicans, are grossly offensive.”
“Those responsible for erecting these posters have nothing to offer the people of the North and they must get off the backs of the local community.”
The DUP, meanwhile, described the posters as "depraved and repulsive".
The party's Foyle MLA Gary Middleton said: "Dissident elements will not succeed in their attempts to take us backwards.
"These posters however demonstrate once again the importance of a united community stance, not just in opposition of those who would threaten or use violence, but pro-actively in support of choosing policing as a career."
