Crime « Thurles Information

Government approve proposal to expand Garda Liaison Officer Network.

Minister McEntee welcomes Government approval of proposal to expand Garda Liaison Officer Network.

Minister for Justice Mrs Helen McEntee TD has received Government approval for the expansion of the Garda Liaison Officer Network.
Following a request from Garda Commissioner Mr Drew Harris to the Minister, this expansion will involve:

Creation of two new posts for Garda Liaison Officers, one in Abu Dhabi, with responsibility for the Middle East region, and the second in Bangkok, with responsibility for the South-East Asia/Australasia region.
Assignment of an assistant liaison officer to Washington who will support the operation of the current Garda Liaison Officer (GLO) post in the North American Region.
Temporary assignment of two Garda members to assist the French National Police and Gendarmerie during July and August 2022.

Minister McEntee said, “We have seen the importance of international law enforcement coalitions in recent months as, through collaboration and cooperation with their partners, An Garda Síochána have enjoyed success in pursuing Irish criminals abroad, such as the Kinahan Organised Crime Group.
Some criminals may think that they can evade justice by leaving Ireland but these law enforcement coalitions demonstrate that they cannot.
And given the increasingly transnational nature of organised crime and terrorism, the Garda Liaison Officer Network plays an important role in realising An Garda Síochána’s commitment to tackle these twin issues.
They engage with local and regional law enforcement agencies regarding the activities and movement of Irish nationals or people linked to Ireland who An Garda Síochána, and potentially their colleague police services, have an interest in.
The new GLOs will be crucial in assisting An Garda Síochána in pursuing criminals who spread misery here in Ireland, as well as abroad”.

GLO positions are currently situated in Madrid, Paris, London, The Hague, Washington DC and Bogota.

Garda members at the rank of Sergeant, Inspector and Superintendent have been assigned to these positions, which are based in the Irish embassies as part of the Irish diplomatic mission in those countries.

Minister McEntee continued, “This is the second expansion of the Network in the past two years following the creation of the Washington and Bogota posts in 2020. These expansions follow a review of the Network which recommended the creation of five new regional GLO posts.
These new positions will be important for enhancing the security of the state and strengthening An Garda Síochána’s relationships with police services overseas.
The deployment of Garda Liaison Officers to date has proven to be an effective and practical form of interagency cooperation between police services and has supported the exchange of information and the coordination of operations across borders.
This expansion will see the Network break new ground by expanding into the Middle-East and South-East Asia/Australasia while also supplementing the existing operations in North America and Europe”.

Oireachtas Approves Acts To Combat Terrorism & Organised Crime.

Oireachtas approves renewal of acts to combat terrorism and organised crime

The Minister for Justice, Mrs Helen McEntee TD, has moved Oireachtas resolutions for the renewal of important legislation aimed at combatting terrorism and serious organised crime.

The Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998, which was enacted in the aftermath of the Omagh bombing, makes amendments to the Offences against the State Acts 1939-1985, the State’s main body of counter-terrorist legislation, and created new substantive offences.

The Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act, 2009 was enacted to put in place certain additional legislative measures to tackle organised crime. Among those measures was section 8 which provides that certain organised crime offences are scheduled offences and accordingly shall be tried in the Special Criminal Court, unless the Director of Public Prosecutions otherwise directs.

Both Acts provide that certain provisions shall cease to be in operation unless a Resolution had been passed by each House of the Oireachtas resolving that those provisions should continue in operation for a further 12 months.

The Dáil and Seanad agreed to renew, for a further year, the relevant provisions of both Acts until June 29th 2023.

In addition, there is an ongoing independent expert review of the Offences Against the State Acts and a final report from the Group is expected this autumn.

During the Oireachtas debates the Minister outlined that the threat from dissident paramilitaries remains, that as an open democracy Ireland is not immune from the threat from international terrorism and as such the continuation of the provisions was necessary. The Minister also thanked the members of the Independent Review Group for their ongoing work on reviewing the Offences Against the State Acts, and looked forward to engaging with any recommendations in their final report, expected this autumn.

The Minister stated : “There remains a real and persistent threat from paramilitary groups … It is imperative that our laws and our authorities are properly equipped to deal with the threat.

These groups remain committed to violence and are contemptuous of the vast majority of the people on this island, latter who wish to live their lives in peace.

It is my firm view that the provisions I am seeking renewal of today are important in supporting An Garda Síochána in their efforts to investigate, disrupt and dismantle the activities of terrorists.

Further in relation to organised crime and acknowledging the work of the Gardaí, the Minister said:
“Organised criminal groups have no regard for the rule of law and supporting the great work of An Garda Síochána in tackling organised crime remains a priority for the Government.

The Government is fully committed to giving An Garda Síochána the necessary resources to continue the work of combatting those involved in organised crime. As Minister for Justice, I want to acknowledge that work. An Garda Síochána continue to make significant seizures of drugs and firearms; they continue to bring organised criminals to justice and importantly they continue to prevent further loss of life.

The clear view of the Garda Commissioner, Mr Drew Harris, is that the continued operation of these provisions is required, and I fully support his view”.

Tribute Paid To Assistant Garda Commissioner John O’Driscoll.

Minister for Justice Mrs Helen McEntee has paid tribute, on behalf of the Government and the State, to Assistant Garda Commissioner Mr John O’Driscoll as he retires today, following 41 years of service in An Garda Síochána.

Minister for Justice Mrs McEntee stated:

“Mr John O’Driscoll has served the State with integrity and distinction over the course of his 41 year career in policing. Throughout his career, and particularly in difficult days since 2016, John has embodied the finest tradition of An Garda Siochana. His experience, dedication and leadership ensured the success of the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau in effectively disrupting organised crime groups and bringing to justice many of the most serious criminals.

In recent months months, we have seen the work of An Garda Síochána with their international law enforcement partners come to fruition to effectively tackle criminal groups – Mr O’Driscoll work has been central to quietly harnessing this coalition of support.

As he retires today, I know Mr O’Driscoll’s heart will always remain in policing and his legacy will have a lasting impact – on all those who have had the privilege to work with him and with the public he has served with such steadfastness.

I wish John and all those close to him many years of healthy and happy retirement.”

Persons Charged Following Enquiry Into Alleged Tipperary School Bus Cartel.

It is understood that 14 persons have been charged regarding their alleged involvement in a cartel that is said to have rigged tenders to operate school transport routes, here in Co. Tipperary and further afield in Co. Waterford, Co. Limerick and Co. Kilkenny.

Bid rigging in public procurement situations can be particularly harmful; artificially increasing prices and ultimately costs, while reducing the quality of services the State provides.

Same legal action now follows on from investigations carried out by the ‘Competition and Consumer Protection Commission‘ (CCPC).

The enquiry by the CCPC had focused on supposed alleged abuse of the State school bus system, latter which undertakes to transport some 100,000 children each day (or some 40 million journeys annually), between students rural homes and their places of education.

Bus Éireann, latter which operates the service on behalf of the Department of Education utilize a tendering process, using the government’s tenders portal, before hiring some 4000 subcontractors, who in turn are obliged to bid, in order to operate specific rural school bus routes.

The submission to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) follows an enquiry into alleged “price rigging” in Co. Tipperary, which is said to have begun initially back in 2016. The CCPC claim to have received a letter from an anonymous insider; latter who has provided information about this continued practise and which officials believed may to be more widespread here in the Irish Republic.

The anonymous letter is understood to contain details of various meetings and calls, which it is alleged took place between those involved, before tenders were eventually submitted to operate certain school runs.

The CCPC, working in conjunction with officers from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau are understood to have raided some 20 premises. and subsequent charges follow an examination by the DPP of the evidence gathered by the CCPC.

The regulatory agency has now opened a Confidential Telephone Line [Tel. No. 087 7631378] for any person wishing to make further disclosures in relation to this alleged abuse of the State School Bus service.

Note: The Cartel Immunity Programme operated by the CCPC, in conjunction with Director of Public Prosecutions, means that a member of a cartel may avoid prosecution if they are the first member to come forward, reveal their involvement in illegal cartel activity and fully co-operate with the investigation.

Inspection Of Places Of Detention Bill Now Published

Minister for Justice publishes General Scheme of the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill.

Legislation will allow Ireland to ratify the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT)
Role of Inspector of Prisons to be expanded to become Chief Inspector of Places of Detention

Minister for Justice, Mrs Helen McEntee has received Government approval to publish the General Scheme of the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill.

The bill will provide for the designation of National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) that will act as national inspection bodies of places of detention in the State.

The establishment or designation of a NPM is necessary to allow Ireland to ratify the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT). OPCAT provides an oversight mechanism which assists States in preventing torture and other forms of ill-treatment in places of detention.

The approach proposed in the General Scheme is to expand the existing statutory role of the Inspector of Prisons to become a Chief Inspector of Places of Detention. The Chief Inspector will be designated as the NPM not just for prisons but for relevant places of detention within the whole justice sector, including detention in Garda stations, court holding cells and in vehicles transporting persons between places of detention.

The bill will also strengthen and update the statutory basis in place for the Inspector of Prisons.

Speaking about the General Scheme, Minister McEntee said:
“I am delighted to publish the General Scheme of the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill as approved by Government this week. Progressing this legislation will allow us to deliver on our Programme for Government commitment to ratify OPCAT.

This is a major piece of work which will further strengthen Ireland’s commitment to the highest international standards in this area of human rights. This legislation will help ensure that detention conditions and wellbeing of any persons deprived of liberty are maintained in accordance with recognised international standards.

The proposed approach of expanding the remit of the Inspector of Prisons to become an Inspector of Places of Detention will allow for the existing structure and expertise to be retained and applied to other places of detention in the justice sector which have not, to date, had the benefit of such oversight”.

The establishment of statutory NPMs will have the effect of setting standards which will be subject to international inspection and monitoring and will ensure that all places of detention in the State consistently meet recognised standards.

It is important to note that places of detention are not limited to those in the criminal justice sector. This Bill will enable other Ministers to designate national preventive mechanisms for places of detention outside the justice sector and within their own remit.

It is intended that IHREC will become a co-ordinating National Preventive Mechanism, co-ordinating the activities of NPMs and maintaining effective liaison with the UN oversight body – the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT).

Speaking about the valuable input from civil society in relation to the development of these new proposals, Minister McEntee stated:
“In developing these legislative proposals, my Department consulted with various organisations and experts with policy or operational responsibility for inspection arrangements across the range of the potential NPM regime provided for in OPCAT. These consultations indicated broad support for the proposed approach of an expanded role for the Office of the Inspector of Prisons as the NPM for the justice sector and for the designation of IHREC as a co-ordinating NPM for Ireland”.

Ratification of OPCAT and the enactment of this legislation will allow for more rigorous standards in inspecting places of detention in this State. Both international and national inspection bodies (the NPMs) will be facilitated with unfettered access to facilities, information and engagement with those deprived of their liberty and people working in places of detention.