GARDA COMMISSIONER DREW Harris has said gardaí are committed to putting an end to the gang violence in Drogheda, Co Louth,

Speaking to media alongside Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan and Drogheda Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan today outside of Drogheda Garda Station, Harris committed that the recent increase in garda numbers in the town wasn’t just “a flash in the pan”.

“We are the many, they are the few, if we band together, we can bring them to justice and end this,” he said, RTÉ reports. 

There have been 74 feud incidents since June last year and in the last week there have been five petrol bomb attacks. A man was also shot last Thursday afternoon.

Harris committed said on Tuesday that 25 new recruits from the training college in Templemore will be sent to Drogheda in June as part of a crackdown on the gang feud.

Speaking today, Christy Mangan said that gardaí would “deal forcibly with the crime gangs and dismantle their criminal networks”.

“I ask that the community in Drogheda continue to support us and I reassure them that we have a very comprehensive Operational plan in place to deal with the criminals involved,” he said. 

Operation Stratus

Gardaí also today provided stats for Operation Stratus, which began in Drogheda in October of last year.

Gardaí said a number of incidents have been reported since the operation launched, including firearms offences, possession of drugs, petrol bomb incidents, criminal damage offences and general road traffic offences.

Among other successes, gardaí said that, to date, the operation has resulted in:

Four people appearing before the courts on false imprisonment charges. 

Four people arrested in connection with attempted murder in February. 

The recovery of firearms at different times; the seizure of drugs; €270,000 in cash seized.

Gardaí said that 319 proactive searches have been carried out along with 870 Armed Support Unit / Roads Policing checkpoints and 1,253 proactive uniform & plainclothes patrols.