Garda files sent to DPP under tough anti-gang legislation
GARDA files have been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions on at least two major gangland figures -- under tough new legislation introduced last year.
This is the first time the DPP will have to decide whether the suspects are to be charged under the anti-gangland laws, which carry jail sentences up to life imprisonment.
Those named on the files are key figures in organised crime in Dublin and have been the target of garda inquiries for the past couple of years.
Their names were on a list of around 80 top criminals, drawn up by senior officers at a crime summit in the Garda College in Templemore last summer when the legislation came into force.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy confirmed yesterday that a number of files are currently with the DPP in respect of measures outlined in the Criminal Justice Act of 2009.
He rejected any suggestion that the powers contained in the legislation were not yet being used by gardai.
He said: "I can assure you that the Garda Siochana are not sitting on their hands since the Criminal Justice Act of 2009 was enacted.
"We are working very diligently to put cases together and I can confirm that a number of cases have been submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions and, of course, the Director needs time to consider those cases."
Community
The Garda Commissioner was in Co Galway yesterday to open a new garda community office in Ballybane. He paid tribute to the members of the force, who had built and maintained relationships and partnerships within the community.
He acknowledged the current difficulties facing rank and file gardai and said he was aware that the Garda Representative Association was now circulating a questionnaire to members outlining options for a range of protest actions over cuts in pay.
- Brian McDonald and Tom Brady
Irish Independent
