WHILE many of the leading players in the Limerick gangland scene have been removed from the city streets, local Fianna Fail TD Willie O’Dea believes that the proposed cutbacks in Garda numbers could result in criminal activity reverting back to the levels of five or six years ago.
“It is my understanding that some of the remnants of the gangs in Limerick are getting together in an attempt to re-establish themselves to their former strength and without adequate Garda numbers, this could bring the gangland problem right back to where it was a few years ago”, the former Defence Minister declared.
He also believes that the increase in dissident activity has resulted in Limerick being shoved into the spotlight as tensions in the North continue to escalate.
“On top of the threat from the local criminal gangs, Limerick is also a centre of activity for Republican dissidents and this was underlined in the recent threats to locals considering a career in the British army”, Deputy O’Dea explained.
His comments came as Gardaí detained and questioned a man in his 40s following a search at a house in the city last Monday as part of a crackdown on dissident republican activity in Limerick in recent weeks.
Referring to the drop in Garda numbers over the last two decades, Deputy O’Dea said that current Garda Síochána numbers in Limerick are currently 20 per cent less than in the 1980’s.
“Management has been particularly decimated. There were 12 Inspectors, now this number is halved to six. There are no Detective Inspectors at all in the Limerick division and the number of Sergeants was reduced by 18”, he said.
Should the latest round of cuts come to fruition, Deputy O’Dea says that it would be an “open invitation from Minister Alan Shatter to potential gangland kingpins to take over where predecessors left off.”
He says it is time to maintain Garda strength to build on “the heroic success that has been achieved as a result of the valiant efforts of An Garda Síochána, sometimes above and beyond the call of duty”.
