Quinn CEO takes comfort in meeting with Garda Commissioner

The CEO of Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH), Liam McCaffrey has said that he takes a degree of comfort from his meeting with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on Tuesday.

“I don't think we're going to agree about the level of policing over the last five years, what we were more focussed was on what's going on now. Are the resources there for us to feel safe as we go about our day to day business? Is the investigation being pursued vigorously enough to bring those who carried out this act to justice?

“And to bring those who organised and paid for it to justice?

“I don't think we'll agree about what happened in the past, but we take a degree of comfort what is happening now,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.

Mr McCaffrey said that he does feel safer now, that there is a high level of security around QIH executives.

“We are working away through that, but ultimately we can't live like that forever.

We can't have police cars at the end of driveway for ever and a day, the threat needs to be dealt with and those from whom the threat comes need to be dealt with.

He admitted that prior to the assault of QIH executive Kevin Lunney, he had felt let down by the State. “I am loathe to say that. I'm not prone to exaggeration but, the intimidation that's going on almost had reached what you could call 'an acceptable level'.

“We've had Facebook postings, defaming of all manner, all manner of attacks and all manner of claims, made about us. Posters put up in the area, defamation and intimidation.”

Mr McCaffrey said there had been a level of physical attacks both on company property and “more chillingly”, since August of last year on executives and their homes,

“Whilst each individual incident was investigated to a certain extent, I don't think the full forces of the State were brought to bear to say ‘we've got a problem in this region and we need to sort it out.’

“I’m not sure how productive it is to look back and criticise. We've got to look forward.”

He hopes that the current garda and PSNI investigations will lead to arrests, “not just those carrying out attacks, but those paying for it.”

Mr McCaffrey admitted that there are times when he feels like walking away.

While watching the television interview with his colleague

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“II don't know what the future for the business would be. There's a certain amount of saying we don't want to be bullied. At this stage we are continuing in our role and we are relying on law enforcement to deal with this issue.”