Gardaí welcome cash for gun crime probe
Justice Minister Michael McDowell announced Operation Anvil, which will provide 15,000 additional hours of garda overtime, yesterday.
The operation would target “gun crime of any kind” in the Dublin area, including fatal shootings and armed robberies.
“This is one of the most intensive special policing operations ever undertaken in the State. The operation will be focused, sustained, targeted and relentless,” Mr McDowell told the Dáil yesterday.
He said the operation would include:
* Overt and covert operations
* Mobile and foot patrols
* Random checkpoints at specific locations
* Searches
* Execution of warrants
* Gathering and collation of intelligence
Gardaí working in districts affected by gun crime and specialist units yesterday welcomed the news.
“That’s a huge amount of money and if it is put to the proper use it will be very effective,” said a detective in the Dublin west division, which has had three fatal shootings this year.
Gardaí in the area are investigating the murders of criminal Martin Kenny this month and drug dealer Andrew Glennon and Joe Rafferty last month.
“This money will help us put extra manpower into these investigations and mount surveillance operations on the gang members,” said the garda.
Another senior officer also praised the initiative.
“It will allow us to work extra hours, have extra patrols, follow up extra leads and allow us to target further organised crime gangs that we hadn’t the resources or time to do.”
He said gardaí in Dublin were investigating seven fatal shootings and two major armed robberies as well as the murder of a foreign national, whose body parts were found in the north central garda division at the end of March.
A spokesperson for Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy rejected claims the operation was a ministerial PR stunt.
“An Garda Siochána are a professional police force and we don’t exist to support a PR machine of the minister.” He said garda management drew up the plan, costed it and presented it to Mr McDowell.
He said the operation would be reviewed weekly and that the Commissioner would decide when the operation would end.
Labour justice spokesperson Joe Costello welcomed the announcement, but said he was concerned the operation would fizzle away once the overtime budget was used up.
Fine Gael justice spokesperson Jim O’Keeffe said he was glad the minister had “at long last stirred himself”, but said the necessary funding needed to be made available on a continuing basis.
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