Informer vetting code to root out fake agents

SWEEPING reforms of covert handling of garda informers are to be introduced in a bid to root out fake agents.

In a radical move to address the corruption and negligence in An Garda Siochána uncovered by the Morris Tribunal, would-be agents will in future be subjected to extensive vetting.

The measures, proposed by a working group headed by Deputy Commissioner TP Fitzgerald, were designed to ensure informers’ safety, smoother handling operations and better understanding of the value of covert information.