Limerick gardaí ‘defeated evil criminals in city’

After leading the fight against serious crime in Limerick over the last 30 years, the detective who investigated 19 feud-related killings has declared "the city is like any normal city now".

Detective Superintendent Jim Browne admits that, at the height of the violence, as the US fought a war on evil and terror, gardaí in Limerick were dealing with “a war on evil and urban terrorists” who, he says, were armed with an array of paramilitary weaponry, including rocket launchers, AK47s, semi-automatic guns and hand grenades.

As he prepares to retire tomorrow, the native of Ballyviniter in Mallow recalls the “evil, volatile and extremely dangerous men” behind the frequent murders, shootings, assaults, threats and arsons — but also how his officers, bolstered by additional armed resources deployed from around the country, put the criminals out of business. That dedication has led to a point where there has not been a gangland murder in Limerick since 2010.