Gang murder witnesses 'are refusing to testify'

Witnesses to gangland killings are refusing to testify against suspects or are leaving the witness protection programme, making convictions impossible in many cases, Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy has said.

At the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors in Wexford yesterday, he also said that while there had been calls for him to defend members in the media, some recent events were "indefensible".

"I believe that when I should have come out [ in the media] I did so," he said, "but I was never one to chase the media and I am not going to change now."

Accepting there had been a spate of killings over the past 12 months, he said the force was determined to meet organised gangs "head on".

"Quite clearly, what has happened in relation to gangland killings is very disturbing and the public are indeed concerned with the spate of firearms offences.

"We would have very good intelligence in relation to who would have committed quite a number of those shootings, but converting the intelligence into evidence is very difficult thing."

Cases often fell apart when key witnesses were unwilling to go to court to give sworn evidence or were unwilling to stay in the witness protection programme.

"In relation to the witness protection programme, it's all about moving families and you can appreciate moving people away from their communities is a difficult thing," Mr Conroy said.

"Some of them did go. Some went away for a short while and came back. That's the difficulty we have, with the result in some cases we are protecting people on a 24-hour basis. If people are willing to support us we will protect them in order that criminals are brought to justice and are seen to be brought to justice."

All specialist units were gathering intelligence on armed gangs and gardaí were determined to detect people with firearms and convict them under new legislation which provided for a 10-year mandatory prison term. "We will definitely reduce the numbers of those crimes taking place."

Cocaine was now "a major problem for us all". However, detection rates for headline crime remained at 40 per cent.

"Tell me of any other police service in any other part of Europe with that detection rate," he told delegates. While gardaí were doing "pretty well", there was a need to make progress on more serious criminality.

Mr Conroy confirmed that the Garda traffic superintendent Jim Fitzgerald, who was arrested on suspicion of drink driving last week, would retire in 12 days. When questioned about Supt Fitzgerald's suitability for promotion Mr Conroy said he had performed well in other posts.

"Of course it is an embarrassment for the force, I totally agree with that," he said of the arrest, "but remember that it was a young member of An Garda Síochána that stopped and arrested him. And that's what it's all about, dealing with the issue."