Naming of Abbeylara officers criticised

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has again criticised newspapers for publishing the names of the armed officers in …

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has again criticised newspapers for publishing the names of the armed officers in the siege in Abbeylara, Co Longford, last April in which Mr John Carthy was shot dead by gardai, writes Jim Cusack, Security Editor.

In the latest edition of its magazine, Garda Review, the GRA says the decision of The Irish Times and other newspapers to publish the names of the officers was "for no reason other than monetary gain in order to sell their product and to satisfy an appetite for a small minority who wanted every scrap of information in respect of this tragedy".

The magazine editorial said the officers would have to "look over their shoulders as a result of being clearly identified as members of An Garda Siochana".

During the inquest into Mr Carthy's death the coroner said he had no power to compel the media to withhold the names of the gardai in the siege but asked that the members of the Garda armed unit, the Emergency Response Unit (ERU), be given anonymity.