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Updated 5.30pm
JUSTICE MINISTER ALAN Shatter has met with members of the Garda Ombudsman Commission, as his Cabinet colleague Eamon Gilmore said earlier that details emerging of phone bugging at the police watchdog are “quite sinister”.
The meeting took place at the Department of Justice this afternoon to discuss claims that GSOC’s Dublin headquarters were bugged last year.
A statement from the Garda Ombudsman is expected later this evening.
The Sunday Times reported yesterday that a surveillance operation was used to hack into emails, wi-fi and phone systems at the Abbey Street building. It’s also claimed a speaker phone in a conference room was bugged.
Speaking to RTÉ this afternoon, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said it is “very important” that details of what happened “be made available to the Minister for public analysis and for reporting to Cabinet tomorrow.
“It is important that we should understand on what grounds suspicions were determined in the first instance, who determined those suspicions, did the board discuss this and make arrangements for a company to assess whether or not interference in the communications system was had,” he said.
Kenny also pointed out that under the Garda Siochana Act the Ombudsman is required to “report unusual matters of exception importance” to the Minister for Justice.
Shatter was said to be seeking a “full report” on what happened at the meeting earlier.
GSOC was expected to be asked to explain its decision to hire UK security company Verrimus to investigate if it had been placed under surveillance.
Commission members was also set to be asked why the Minister was not informed of the move, and why no complaint was made to gardaí at the time.
“I understand that Minister Shatter is going to brief us tomorrow on what is emerging on that,” Gilmore told reporters as he arrived for a meeting in Brussels.
“We’re seeing a lot of stories now about telephone conversations being bugged, and offices being bugged.
“I think we are going to have to deal with this. It’s unacceptable. It shouldn’t be happening, but I’d like to see what Minister Shatter has to tell us about it and what he knows about it.”
Cabinet members convene for their weekly meeting at Government Buildings tomorrow. No statement is expected from the Department until ministers have been briefed.
Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte was also asked about the issue this morning, and agreed that the story emerging seemed “somewhat sinister” given the “official role of the Garda Ombudsman in supervising and investigating the Garda Síochána”.
Rabbitte said he was “surprised by that” when asked to comment on the report that GSOC hadn’t previously reported the matter to the Minister, but stressed that it was important that they await Shatter’s briefing on the issue.
- additional reporting Hugh O’Connell
First published 1.43pm
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There’s an awful lot of this happening the past week or maybe it’s just that its being reported on. Hope the staff recover soon :)
How the hell does one make a get away from the blanch centre? I have never managed to get away from it in less than twenty minutes! Hope the chap is ok
Sc um bags.
Not much use to the guys who took the cash as they will have dye packs that will explode after s couple of minutes hope it blinds the snackers!
They can change the money in the cash machines in the likes of the leisure plex. Machines can pick up on the dye.
Nope my friend its easily removed place the cash box in hot water with loads of colour catcher and bleach, dye is removed from all notes apart from fivers because they are a low quality note … I’m sure this comment will be removed but it a fact !
Was he not wearing his company issue helmet ?
That probably why his injuries arent serious..
So helmet will take full impact of axe or iron bar across the head? ?
I love the level of intelligence on many commentators.
Wish the man a speedy recovery
Where does it say “Axe” in the story?
Where did the not say axe or iron bar?. Your hardly gonna hold up a security van with a foot long floppy rubber dildo are you?
Rumour has it they don’t wear them anymore as they had issues from being blindsided when being robbed. Hope they guy is ok dangerous work for little money.
Gaurdian
I asked a relevant question, i didnt make a statement, as for the helmet, i have seen more CIT staff with no helmet carrying boxs of cash in and out of busines’s and ATM machines than i have seen with a helmet. So if he was not wearing it, and i repeat, “not wearing” it then his trip to the hospital might well have been avoided, on a seperate issue who are you to pass judgement on my level of inteligence, did you notice the question mark at the end of my original question, this indicates i was asking a question, and you dont say ” I love the level of intelligence on many commentators” the correct grammer is “I love the level of intelligence of many commentators”
Did they shout “YOU WILL NOT TAKE OUR FREEDOM!!” before or after the robbery?
Dorry John for getting your back on the level of your common sense. Which would kind of lead you to the common sense conclusion that policy would be they wear P.P.E out of secure van. Oh apologies thats personal protective equipment. Standard for health and safety reasons and regardless of rumour must be worn.
So again I say the level of intelligent input in this site is sadly lacking at times. Thank you so very much for pointing that out.
Also grammatically you will have to take that up with the lovely auto correct system designers for Samsung.
Sorry *** case in point about auto correction
Also should be *******getting your back up******
@John Meade. Grammar not grammer.
how blanch Security didn’t spot the two guys with all the cameras they have. The two men were hiding in the bushes net to that atm, when the van pulled up they go out and attacked. I am sure some people seen the guys in the bushes but didn’t think twice about them.
Yrs ago I was arriving at the centre on a bus and I seen a car parked up on the path outside the post office doors with 4 men sitting inside .. U could clearly see them dressed in black with balaclavas and a gun .. How security didn’t go to check why the car was parked up on the path that far in is strange … They need to get proper security gaurds !
guys with guns with nothing to lose, a security guard unarmed with everything to lose, they made the right choice, why would they risk their life for money thats insured
They are too busy harassing teenagers and acting like Hartman .. Wana be coppers
I didn’t mean I expectd them to approach them with guns , my point was that the security did notice them in the first place .. Which shouldn’t have been hard as we’re the car was is a footpath in from the road a bit should have been easily noticed and it wasn’t !
Just driving the 7 min drive home and saw eight “02 D” black BMWs. Wonder which one it was…
I was in the UK recently, I noticed G4S staff there wearing helmets & body armour/stab vest? I wonder why they don’t supply them for their staff here…I don’t think Dublin is any less dangerous than London? Anyway, hope the security guy has a speedy recovery. Tough job.
I was in the UK recently, I noticed that G4S staff there wear helmets & body armour/stab vests. I wonder why they don’t provide them for their staff here in Ireland? I don’t think Dublin is any less dangerous. Anyway, I hope the security guy has a speedy recovery. Tough job.
Did someone say stroked jammer?
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