GARDAÍ HAVE responded to the heightened gang violence in Dublin over the past week by drafting in the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) to patrol flashpoint areas.
The armed officers from the specialist unit have already begun patrols in parts of north and west Dublin where some of the most dangerous gangs are based.
Assistant Garda Commissioner Mick Feehan, who is in charge of policing in the Dublin metropolitan region, said the patrols would be extended to other parts of the city in the weeks and months ahead.
He said the ERU’s deployment represented the overt element of a new drive against drugs gangs that also involved covert operations.
Yesterday, ERU members in full bullet-proof outfits were visible in Coolock, Ballymun and Finglas. Uniformed gardaí were conducting checkpoints to frustrate gangs moving drugs and guns.
The ERU is usually tasked to provide armed back-up to uniformed gardaí and members of other specialist units during potentially dangerous operations such as drugs searches against key criminals. It is only deployed to patrol areas when Garda management wants to demonstrate a public show of strength to deter gang-related activity.
In recent years the ERU has been deployed on to the streets of several flashpoint housing estates in Limerick city when periods of feuding have erupted there.
The decision to deploy the ERU to parts of Dublin follows the shooting dead of three men last week and the gunpoint abduction in Coolock of a shopkeeper, who was later freed unharmed.
Gangland figure JP Joyce (31) from Coolock was found shot dead in a ditch at the back of Dublin airport last Saturday.
He was the leader of a drugs gang based in Coolock. Gardaí believe he had worked closely with the main drugs gang in Finglas. However, detectives believe he fell foul of that faction and was murdered by member of that gang.
Last Sunday two men – Brendan Molyneux (46) and Paddy Mooney (58) – were shot dead in a local authority flat at the Pearse House complex on Pearse Street in Dublin’s south inner city.
Gardaí believe the same gang that killed Joyce carried out Sunday’s double killing.
Detectives are working on the theory that the gang believed Molyneux was plotting to kill one of them and so decided to shoot him dead. Mr Mooney was shot because he happened to be in Molyneux’s company when the killers called.
The men were shot in Mr Mooney’s flat. Gardaí believe the killers knew Molyneux would be visiting Mr Mooney last Sunday and moved in when they knew he was inside the property.
Four people, three men and a woman, were arrested hours after the murders.
They were detained in Finglas and close to the murder scene. One of the men has been released without charge but the other three were still in custody last night.
Gardaí believe they have identified the killer. They are hopeful of charging at least one of those in custody before his detention expires on Sunday.