Operation Delivery saved after eleventh hour talks

A GARDA investigation targeting professional armed robbers was almost cancelled last week due to a shortage of gardaí.

Demands within the force for gardaí assigned to Operation Delivery led to an initial decision to suspend the successful investigation.

Gardaí involved in Operation Delivery were told last Friday that the operation was officially suspended.

An hour later, following talks with garda management, members were told the operation was to get a one-month extension pending an assessment of its effectiveness.

Operation Delivery targets organised gangs involved in robberies of security vans supplying cash to and removing cash from ATM machines.

The operation draws two gardaí from all six garda divisions in the Dublin Metropolitan Area (DMA), taking from those divisions experienced detectives.

These 12 gardaí are aided by eight detectives from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), which directs Operation Delivery.

Chief Supt Martin Donnellan, head of NBCI, said the operation was suspended “for an hour” last Friday, before being extended.

“We did consider taking it off, but it has been extended, pending an assessment. There have been discussions at a high level.”

Operation Delivery, set up in June, had already been reviewed and extended.