Garda liaise with Spanish police over Eddie Hutch killing

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan has said the force is liaising with Spanish police as part of its investigation into the gangland shootings in Dublin.

Speaking at a press conference at Garda Headquarters in Dublin, she said there would be an “organisation-wide response” to the shootings.

Part of the effort to catch the perpetrators would be “targeted intelligence-led investigations”, she said.

She defended the force's decision to have no gardaí present at the Regency Hotel, where David Byrne was shot dead, saying officers were deployed based on "intelligence and risk assessment".

“I think it’s very important to say at the outset there was no specific intelligence indicating any threat last Friday at the Regency Hotel,” she said.

Ms O’Sullivan added that there was “ no doubt” that the Garda had had to deal with a diminution of its resources and personnel in recent years.

But she said “significant progress” had been made in the investigation.

Earlier, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said a permanent armed Garda unit would be established in Dublin to tackle gangland crime

Eddie Hutch, who was in his 50s, was shot dead by gunmen in his home in north Dublin on Monday.

He is the latest victim of a feud between a gang loyal to murdered criminal Gary Hutch and one led by international drugs trafficker Christy Kinahan, who is based in Marbella in southern Spain.

Additional weapons

Ms O’Sullivan met Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald yesterday morning when it was agreed an extra €5 million would be allocated to the Garda to deal with the current crisis.

“There’s no doubt over the last number of years we have seen significant reductions in both human resources and financial resources,” she said.

“I’m very satisfied that we can rebuild that capacity and capability. The reality is we cannot do it overnight. It is going to take time.”

Ms Fitzgerald has expressed concern that further deadly attacks could take place in a dispute between the two gangs. She said every resource would be made available to the force, including additional equipment and weapons if required.

‘Ruthless

’ Ms Fitzgerald said the type of attacks witnessed over recent days showed that these “ruthless” criminals had no regard for life. There was “a cycle now of revenge and retaliation” and further attacks could not be ruled out.

Fianna Fáil justice spokesman Niall Collins said Ms Fitzgerald's was a rushed reaction to the problem. He said Fine Gael "talks tough, acts soft, and is always playing catch-up" in the area of crime.

Meanwhile, gardaí have said the getaway car used in the murder of Eddie Hutch on Monday night was not stolen and “significant progress” had been made in tracing its owner.

The silver BMW was later recovered near the scene with a petrol can inside, a clear indication of an intention to destroy it but gardaí believe the killers were forced to make a hasty escape.

It is one of three vehicles identified as being of interest to detectives.

“We are very interested in four masked men who were seen in the location, two of whom fired shots that resulted in the death of Mr Hutch,” said Assistant Garda Commissioner Jack Nolan at a briefing yesterday evening.