THERE is a clear irony in the timing of the IRA's announcement that it is giving up its arms.

As Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams was describing the move as "a defining point in the search for a lasting peace", police carrying guns were on patrol at railway stations and airports here in our region.

The chilling presence of armed officers at Darlington, Newcastle and York stations brings home the new threat facing Britain. The IRA may be the terrorists of the past but the terrorists of the present are having an impact, not just on London, but on the whole country.

Just as Britain learned to live with the threat of IRA bombs, it now has to come to terms with the grim reality that suicide bombers may be hiding in any of our communities.

As far as the IRA is concerned, we naturally welcome yesterday's statement, described by Tony Blair as a "step of unparalleled magnitude".

The importance of the development cannot be underestimated but the IRA has been an organisation adept at using weasel words for a long time and trust will not come easily. Yesterday's statement of intent, momentous though it is, must be matched by long-term actions.

As the IRA and Sinn Fein embark on their democratic path and consign their violence to history, Britain must somehow find a way to deal with the new generation of terrorists.

And that challenge may well prove to be even harder.