Warning to gangs: we’re not afraid
Justice minister draws a parallel between the Veronica Guerin murder and the Regency attack, writes Niall O’Connor
THIS day, one year ago, something went seriously wrong. The protectors of the people weren’t there when their presence was needed most.
A failure of intelligence. A Garda force starved of resources. A reactionary government that was simply ill-prepared to deal with an escalation in gangland violence.
These are just some of the criticisms levelled at the State in the aftermath of the events of February 5, 2016 — a day which saw terror descend on the streets of our capital.
The thugs that stormed the Regency Hotel would of course have heard of the name ‘Veronica Guerin’, the first 4Irish journalist murdered on our streets.
That statistic might have changed one year ago: A number of courageous journalists — four of whom work for this newspaper group — could easily have suffered the same fate as Veronica. With guns pointed in their faces, they were close to being shot in cold blood. Thank God they weren’t, Veronica undoubtedly would say if she was still here today.
But it’s apt that — one year after the Regency shooting — we draw a parallel between what happened at the Regency and on the Naas Dual Carriageway on June 26, 1996. Unprompted, Frances Fitzgerald, the Tanaiste and Minister for Justice, draws the same parallel during an interview with the Sunday Independent last week.
“When it came to Veronica Guerin, they actually thought they were above the law. Some criminals now think they are above the law. I think the message coming out is that they are not,” Fitzgerald said.
Whether or not the gunmen considered that shooting people dead in broad daylight was “above the law” is not really important. The attack shouldn’t have been allowed to happen. And the crucial question now is whether our justice system will fail again?
The justice minister is determined it won’t. “I think there is a very clear message going out to the gangs at the moment that both I and An Garda Siochana are absolutely determined. We are not afraid of them. There is no fear.”
The minister does not accept there was an intelligence failure that day. “You will still find, if people are totally determined, you can do a lot to prevent, you have to interrupt. But if you have gangs intent on this type of activity, you won’t always prevent it as we’ve seen,” Fitzgerald said.
She added that there was intelligence gathering and surveillance going on prior to the Regency attack, but that in relation to the day: “Clearly, you know, on that occasion, it was difficult to get that intelligence, quite clearly.”
But is she fully satisfied that Garda management did not miss the opportunity to prevent bloodshed? “Each one of these murders, you know, you can never guarantee one hundred per cent that you will prevent an outrage like this. What you have to do is put in place all of the parts of the jigsaw that will ensure the very best efforts and resources go into it.”
The minister will next week bring new bail legislation before the Dail. She has tightened the laws surrounding the proceeds of crime and has given far greater powers to the Criminal Assets Bureau. The Garda budget has also been increased significantly.
A new armed support unit has been tasked with protecting communities. But none of this takes away from the fact that eight murders linked to the feud have taken place since the Regency attack.
At several points, the minister mentions the name Veronica Guerin. That’s encouraging, because Veronica undoubtedly would have treated the new era of criminals with the same disdain as she treated their predecessors.