Witness threats a concern to gardaí
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) said the requirement of witnesses to identify suspects in full view should be removed to protect their safety.
AGSI president, Joe Dirwan, said there had been cases where witnesses who had previously given detailed statements to gardaí about an accused subsequently refused to give evidence in courts.
He was commenting following an article in yesterday’s Irish Examiner, which reported that prosecutions of people for intimidating witnesses and jurors had more than doubled between 2008 and 2010, from 18 to 41.
Mr Dirwan said the association was “deeply concerned about the ongoing and increasing problem of intimidation of witnesses as highlighted by the Irish Examiner”.
He said the AGSI had identified this problem for many years and made a detailed submission to the Dáil Committee on Justice, Equality and Law Reform, as long ago as 2003.
“Following our submission the requirement for witnesses to identify suspects by putting their hand on their shoulders was dropped, but witnesses must still identify suspects in full view — thus still exposing them to future possible intimidation.”
