London Bridge – Jihadist murder wave brings call for honest assessment of Garda resources

» John Hedges

An Phoblacht Editor

‘We must be prepared for all eventualities and the Garda must be resourced to the highest levels possible’ – Jonathan O’Brien TD

ONLY 32 Garda cars out of 2,815 have sat-navs and 178 Garda stations aren’t even on the Garda PULSE computer network, Sinn Féin Justice spokesperson Jonathan O’Brien TD has said, talking about the force’s ability to fight jihadist terrorism.

The Cork deputy highlighted the shocking deficiencies in police resources in the wake of the attack in London last weekend that left seven people dead and dozens more injured before the three attackers were shot dead by police.

The Garda Representative Association has said that Ireland isn’t ready to deal with a terror attack similar to that experienced in Britain, a statement disputed by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald.

Deputy O’Brien called for calm and called for an honest assessment of the state’s capability to deal with such an attack. This is especially after it was learned that at least one of the three ‘Islamic State’ jihadists who carried out the onslaught in the London Bridge area had lived in Dublin.

The Cork North Central TD said:

“While there is no evidence to suggest that there is potential for any London-type incident in Ireland, listening to gardaí saying that they have concerns regarding the resources available to combat such threats is very concerning for the general public.

“We must be prepared for all eventualities and the Garda must be resourced to the highest levels possible.”