http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/30/ireland-gangland-crime-lords
“State fails to stop rise of gangs in Limerick
Two criminal officers ‘not enough’ to crack down on gangland crime lords”
Henry McDonald, Ireland editor
The Observer, Sunday 30 November 2008
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The clamour for a crackdown has been compared to the national anger over the murder of campaigning journalist Veronica Guerin 12 years ago, by members of a Dublin criminal gang. In an interview with The Observer this weekend, her brother Jimmy Guerin predicted that the furore over the Geoghegan murder would pass and the state would fail to confront the gang warfare in Limerick.
Guerin said ‘For a short time after the tribute I thought this might be the tipping point, but then I remembered what happened after Veronica was killed. The Gilligan gang [which murdered the reporter] may have been smashed but others have taken their place. The gangs have gone forth and multiplied all over this country.
‘The state has the power to smash these guys’ doors down in Limerick and arrest dozens of them. It doesn’t have the political will to do that. I suspect, no I fear, that Shane’s death as a national cause will be forgotten about within six weeks.’”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article5258602.ece
From The Sunday Times
November 29, 2008
“Temporary drug detention law to be made permanent
Justice minister Dermot Ahern is to put on a permanent footing a power that allows gardai to hold drug trafficking suspects for up to seven days”
John Mooney
A TEMPORARY power that allows gardai to detain drug trafficking suspects for up to seven days is to be made permanent by Dermot Ahern, the justice minister.
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The measure is in the Criminal Justice Drug Trafficking Act, which was rushed through the Dail by the rainbow coalition government in 1996 following the murder of Veronica Guerin, a crime reporter.
The legislation, which at the time was considered to be a substantial extension of garda powers, was introduced on a temporary basis at the insistence of the Labour party in order to safeguard civil rights. Its powers have been renewed ever since by the Dail, but are to expire again next month.
Now Ahern has decided to put the law on a permanent footing, following a detailed examination of its enforcement which concluded that its provision had not been abused by gardai.”