Gardaí reject group’s claims on combating paedophile rings

THE Garda Siochána has rejected claims by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) that international protocols between police forces must be improved if internet paedophile rings are to be wiped out.

In a statement calling for greater child protection, the ISPCC said Garda intelligence units, which deal with child abuse on the internet, need greater resources, as does the Garda Vetting Unit. They also called for improved treatment services for abused children and for treatment for sex offenders.

Superintendent Kevin Donohue of the Garda Press Office said there were great communication channels between the gardaí and Europol and Interpol, the European and international police liaison offices. “We have full-time representatives working at the Interpol and Europol offices in the Hague and the liaison system between Garda Headquarters and these representatives works well. It is a well functioning network where all relevant information goes to the various sections at the Hague if it is relevant to any particular work they are doing,” he said.