Garda inquiry has two years left

HOAX IRA arms dumps, corrupt senior police officers, and claims of harassment have already rocked An Garda Síochána, yet today sees the start of another two years of inquiry.

After the first interim report of the Morris Tribunal, set up to examine events around the controversial hit-and-run death of Donegal cattle dealer Richie Barron, public confidence in the force has been shattered.

But with several modules still to run, tribunal chairman Mr Justice Frederick Morris has the power to force the Government to demand a massive clean-up of the gardaí. The first phase which examined explosive and arms finds in Donegal in the early 1990s culminated in a report in July of this year detailing staggering levels of garda corruption.