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A MEMBER OF a garda drugs unit was attacked with acid by members of a heroin gang he is investigating, TheJournal.ie understands.
The gang believed to be behind the attack has its own drug distribution network across the country.
The officer has been part of a group of gardai based in north Dublin which has been probing the activities of this criminal gang. The gang’s leaders are from Eastern Europe and investigations into their activities have been ongoing since 2015.
Sources have told TheJournal.ie that the man has received a number of threatening phone calls in the last few months. It is understood the Garda Representative Association (GRA), which represents rank-and-file members of An Garda Síochána, is aware of the threat to the officer’s life and has been offering him support.
He has yet to be issued a Garda Information Message (GIM) – an official warning issued by gardaí to those who are the subject of a serious threat against their personal safety.
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Turned up at his child’s school at pick-up time
In recent weeks, the garda has had his property damaged. Soon after that incident, two well-known members of the gang turned up outside his child’s school while the officer was picking his child up.
In the last month, the officer was driving home from work when his car was doused in what medics believe was an acidic solution. His car window was open at the time and he received some first-degree burn injuries as a result. He received treatment in a hospital and was discharged from medics’ care later that day.
It is understood that gardaí had conducted a number of raids on the criminal organisation prior to the officer initially receiving the threatening phone calls. Management believes it is more than likely that this incident was the catalyst for the threatening behaviour.
Sources have said that senior gardaí are aware of what happened and have offered the man leave as a result. Investigations into the incident are ongoing. It is believed that the officer did not make an official criminal complaint in relation to the attack but informed his superiors of what happened.
Acid attacks
The Garda Press Office said it did not have a comment to make.
John O’Keeffe, spokesman for the GRA, told TheJournal.ie: ”The GRA is horrified though not surprised at the level of violence that is directed towards frontline gardai everyday – up to and including acid attacks.
“The criminal fraternity has no fear of attacking gardaí as there is little or no judicial sanction. The association now calls on government to introduce without delay mandatory minimum sentencing for all attacks on our frontline.”
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@Carmel Reynolds: Acid attack on a Garda? Deporting him just sets him free to do the same elsewhere. Capital punishment should never have been abolished in this country
@Carmel Reynolds: this country won’t do that, going down the same path as UK/Europe, country is gone to shit and the Irish are watching it’s own demise for the sake of diversity pushed by globalists in government, the hole lot need to be sacked and jailed for the treasonous trash they are.
@Christine Paulette Roche: Daft comment. Ireland has always had crime and always will. Most immigrants are good people just like most Irish who emigrate to other countries are good people. Tackle the criminals and lay off the xenophobia.
@Red Ruskie: why do you think the cops in a lot of the Eastern European countries have their faces covered when raiding these s@umbags place? Exactly do they can’t be identified and this is what needs to happen here to protect them and the family’s.
@Jonathan Ryan: imagine the uproar from the snowflakes if our garda were issued balaclavas as part of the standard uniform. Unfortunately you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
@Sea Graham: the Army Ranger wing always wore balaclavas when escorting high profile terrorists to court, I don’t see a problem with the Gardaí doing the same in operations of this nature
People give out about our guards all the time but we forgot just how bad their job is. Imagine someone going to your child’s school and threatening them. Hope this man gets some protection and that the gangs involved get caught and get the full force of the law thrown at them
@Caroline Reid: Absolutely, the problem is this is only going to get worse as other criminals realise how effective such intimidation is. It works. Because we’re so unused to this, so unprepared to deal with it we have a tendency to do nothing. This is the wrong reaction, we should have a highly trained trained and funded military unit to strike back at such criminals, make their lives hell. Reinforce the message that it just isn’t worth inviting that level of police and/or military attention.
@Caroline Reid: Just what exactly do you mean by “Full force of the law” Can you not understand that in the unlikely event of them being caught, they will immediately be given Free Legal Aid and all that goes with it and then a bo****cks of a judge will give a suspended sentence. Unlike the unfortunate Guard who is on his own as far as his car repairs are concerned and also endure the terror and trauma of seeing his family threatened!
@Declan Curley: problem is if they’re found guilty they’ll probably get a smack on the back of the hand with the judge asking nicely not to be doing such things again.
@Declan Curley: The Gardai do a great job in combating crime…it’s the joke that is the Irish judicial system that let’s everyone down. Terrible for a man just out doing his job.
@Damian Kelly: completely agree. Pick a group of 5 or 6 tough b@stards answerable to the top, get them to clear the streets and deny their existence. I wouldn’t even let the polititians know.
This is a reason why it is vital to vet people coming across our borders we cant just open the borders to new eu entrants eu migrants are more than welcome but as part of travel emtry requirents they should be garda vetted before emtry and those woth criminal convictions should be refused
@Sean taoiseach: what use is Garda vetting for people entering the country? How are the Gardaí supposed to know if someone was a scrote in their country of origin or last country of residence? It would make more sense to have them vetted by their respective domestic police forces.
@Sean taoiseach: you can’t filter them out as anyone can become a drug dealer. All you need to do is land in a country that puts you in an intern camp-like hostel, won’t allow you to work for years and give you pittance to live on. A few months of that and it’ll be a lot easier to get recruits to carry this bag from a to b
@Sean taoiseach: If they come from inside the EU all they have to do is show their passports and their in, you can’t vet EU citizens just because they come from a certain EU country.
Thank you European Union this is the result of Diversity and Multi Culturalism agenda you are forcing on the Irish people without their consent why has Ireland no backbone? DEPORT THESE PEOPLE
@Shyster Inc Ireland: last month an Irish gangster got 22 years in Spain for a murder. The month before, four Irishmen were arrested with 3.4m worth of drugs. Back in November they arrested a Kinahan member over a cocaine seizure worth 35m!
Should Spain show some backbone and just shut down their airways to Irish visitors? You ask a Spainard about the average standard of Irish immigrants moving out to their shores from Dublin and I’d be surprised if they were complimentary about what we’re sending. We are not sending our best either, so to speak.
If I was a serving member of an garda siochana, I knew the gang members involved and knew the officer, I’d be recruiting a trusted lieutenant and start some vigilanticism. These lads need to be sorted out asap. Little sh!tes
@Jamie McCormack: after ur wan getting done in Sligo for being in cahoots with local gangsters I suppose you’re not far wrong. Still though, the vast majority are honest, hard-working guards bar the few corrupt, circle the wagons types at the top.
Lock them up, deport upon leave and bar them from ever entering the country again. We need a no nonsense approach to this sort of behavior, we should look at foreign criminals as expendable, should they commit a crime they should be turfed out after their sentence is served. Personal intimidation of a Garda is unacceptable and of their child is something else!
House attacked, attacked with acid and showing up out the man’s kids school.
A one way trip up the Wicklow mountains would be hard not to justify because if this type of thing is not nipped in the bud it will only serve as encouragement to criminal gangs.
I would say prison should be enough of a deterrent but this is Ireland.
This Is beyond frightening for eastern european criminals to turn up at a child’s school,thank god the Dad was there to witness this gross intimidation and prevent whatever evil intent was there, to follow and assault the garda in his own car and then subject him to phone calls, I hope the garda authorities throw the full weight of interest and action in their direction and pursue them to the limits until they are gone from this island, seems this kind of criminality is an ever increasing threat ,time our authorities hunted them down and sent them packing.
@Honeybee: I think the intention for showing up at the school was to be seen by the dad, it wouldn’t really be that intimidating if no one knew they’d ever been there.
@Karen Wellington: I understand Karen ,intimidation is one thing but perhaps that was not solely their objective, this is such a sickening action and had it been a different member of the family collecting the child on the day then seeing these people would not be concerning but might afford these criminals further opportunity to intrude in this garda’s life, I just find the whole thing abhorrent.
The gardai should be allowed wear ski masks when.on raids as they do in some countries to conceal their identity. And internment should be intriduced with madatory sentencing for threatening behaviour such as appearing at his childs school.
A lot of Gardai do a very brave task everyday – they deserve the full weight of the law with them in these matters
Some solicitor will make a fortune along with their barristers defending these guys. When will the legal guys refuse to represent the thugs and side with the Gardai. If it were the judges kids and grandkids school it would be a different story.
@Cranky: The legal guys cannot refuse to represent somebody as everybody is entitled to legal representation and, once engaged, the solicitors and barristers have an obligation to give the best defense possible to their client. This is not a situation that most of the legal profession enjoy but they have a responsibility which they have to fulfill.
Judges in this country have a lot to answer for. It must be so frustrating for AGS to process criminals, then to have them back on the streets in no time.
Sends a clear message that you can get away with almost anything.
No need for vigilante carry on. Issue proper personal protection weapons and decent shooting training to go with it. You can not expect people to put their life at risk without means to defend it, on or off duty.
@Steven Moens: Lots of Garda don’t want guns, if they all have guns then every criminal up and down the country will be carrying one. Then we’re all screwed.
and here lies the problem in this country. Find them beat them find all related to them and beat the living shhh out of them too. lock em up no tvs no easy time no bull…I think the next gang would be a little less cocky..
Attack on front line responders should have a minimum of 5years and upwards depending on severity of attack. Judges should have no leeway in this and be made hand down these sentences. In this case 10years and a heavy fine with removal of assets including dole.
Non-nationals who break serious laws must be deported after their full prison sentence is served, and at their own expense irrespective of how many kids they had in this country. Any wonder Brexit is happening and there is no credit to Ahern & Co who barged this insanity through.
Its entirely up to the D.o P to bring appropriate charges, eg attempted murder, & Judges to apply appropriate sentencing. This appears to be an attack on the states law enforcement personnel, in the conduct of their lawful duty, quite the most serious offence against the state. A separate dreadful murder is reported to involve a foreign hit squad.
Deportation should not be the option, our law should nail them here.
Then they will gravitate to softer climes, & leave us safer.
He is not even Irish. Throw them out. The looney left want these criminals around. Any foreigner that is involved in this type of criminal behavior get him out before he even realizes what’s happening. And if this happened to any other law enforcement in another country they would protect the guards and put him underground until the criminals were arrested or thrown out
Given our lax laws, ridiculous sentencing, proliferation of organised crime and shortage of prison space.
We should probably consider renting prison cells in Russia, definitely cheaper than an Irish cell and a hell of a better deterrent.
This intemadating behavior on a member of the Gardai should not be tolerated. Let us remember what happened to Veronica Guerin well you could have a repeat of this if these people are not stopped now by what ever means needed to protect this Garda!
I cannot recall similar police intimidation reported in the UK: any reason for this ?
A large number of the Eastern European miscreants in The UK are Albanian (not EU), is this the case
In Ireland ?
Based in England, I never cease to be amazed at the ludicrously short sentences (compared to UK)
Meted out to criminals for serious offences, particularly suspended portions…..
WHO in their right mind would want to be a guard today walking around the streets with handcuffs a notepad and a pen? How can they protect the state when they can’t even protect them selves!
These street thugs can attack anyone,including Gardai with near impunity. The fact is the judiciary in this country,every day, give out more and more apparently lenient and bizarre sentences to criminals. There is no sense among the public that Gardai receive any support from our OUT OF TOUCH judiciary. And these judges have impunity from any kind of government criticism. Woe betide the official who dares to criticise them. It’s a court system skewed in favour of the criminal. So it’s no wonder these increasing number of attacks on our Gardai are occurring. Let’s have some justice in our Courts and let’s not just have the law.
Double the amount of Gardaí now! The powers that be are letting it get out of control… no attention is being given to areas where these 5cumbag5 can prosper, as long as Blackrock is well policed then there doesn’t seem to be an issue… ASBOs with 3-strike rules are the only way forward for these walking sh * t bags
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