Gang crime: The quarry changes but the chase stays the same

Having retired from the force after 39 years, Michael O’Sullivan has seen gangs come and go, and has no doubt what faces the Kinahan cartel. He talks to Cormac O’Keeffe

Threats to State security have bookended Michael O’Sullivan’s career over 40 years. Back in 1977, it was from subversives; in 2017, it is from organised crime. It was the IRA then; it is the Kinahan cartel now.

“You could certainly describe it as a threat to the community, to society, then and now,” said Mr O’Sullivan, who retired as assistant commissioner over a week ago. “Unfortunately in this country, we have a chequered history of violent gangs, asserting their violence among the community in various manners, each one of them presenting a separate challenge.”