Pringle again calls for inquiry into reported activities of Garda ‘heavy gang’

By Thomas Pringle
Updated: 18th February 2022

Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, has again called on government for a public inquiry into the reported activities of a Garda “heavy gang” that were highlighted in a recent RTÉ series.

Deputy Pringle said there was a need “for a public inquiry to take place to ensure that this can be brought to light and that changes can be implemented to make sure this never happens again”.

The deputy raised the issue this morning in the Dáil with Mister for Justice Helen McEntee, during oral parliamentary questions to the minister. He had also raised the issue in the Dáil earlier this month.

In her response, the minister outlined safeguards and Garda oversight systems that have been put in place since the 1980s, when the heavy gang was reported to have been operating.

Deputy Pringle said: “On paper everything looks good, but the activities of the gardaí in the 1980s, while they may be historical, they have actually led through into the modern day as well and we have had particular cases in relation to Donegal.”

He said: “I think there has to be an examination of how these activities have influenced the gardaí right the way through and we have to open that up. And if everything is changed the way you say it has, then that will stand up through that inquiry as well and that will actually be vindicated.”

Deputy Pringle questioned how Ireland can hold other countries to account without looking further into the matter, adding, “indeed, even within the North, where we’re talking about the measures that need to take place there and how the RUC behaved, when we have this actually hanging over ourselves as well.

“I think we have to come clean on that,” he said.

Deputy Pringle also disagreed with the minister’s statement that the methods detailed in the RTÉ series, Crimes and Confessions, were unacceptable at the time.

Deputy Pringle said: “They were agreed with at the time and a blind eye was turned to them and that’s the crux of the problem, that the State, not only the gardaí but the State, the government and everybody else turned a blind eye to these activities and allowed them to continue and gave a free rein to the gardaí to allow that to happen.

“And if nothing else an investigation and an inquiry would hopefully go to make sure that doesn’t happen again in the future because I think the potential is still there for that to happen,” he said.

“We need to address that,” the deputy said.

Deputy Pringle said it is only by admitting the mistakes of the past and coming to terms with them that the matter can be addressed.

Deputy Pringle said: “Saying we did this wrong, and we failed here, and we’re going to make sure that we don’t fail again in the future – that is the only way that we can actually be sure of that. And I think there’s still people alive that are suffering as well because of what has happened there, and they need to be acknowledged and that needs to be acknowledged formally as well.”