An Garda Síochána

The Garda Commissioner’s March 2025 Report to the Policing Authority is available to view at ➡️ https://lnkd.in/es4yK4zY See below for highlights of the Report ⤵️

First uniform day! 👮♂️👮♀️ Intake 251 looked great in their new Garda uniforms, captured here on the square at the Garda College. #ItsAJobWorthDoing

Welcome back to our Garda colleagues Dara Higgins, Suzanne O’Shea and David Harrington who have been re-attested as members of An Garda Síochána after spending some time away from the organisation. We are delighted to have them back with us and wish them every success with their future careers in An Garda Síochána.

Speaking at the Criminal Courts of Justice this afternoon following the sentencing of Ilamar Rodrigues Riberio (50s) for a number of organised prostitution offences, brothel keeping, the possession of child pornography, theft, fraud and money laundering - Detective Chief Superintendent Colm Noonan of the Garda National Protective Service Bureau said: “I want to acknowledge the courage of the victims who came forward and assisted us throughout this investigation. My thanks to those exceptionally brave people. “Today’s sentencing is an important opportunity for us to reach out to those who are victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. “If this is you, and your life is being controlled or you feel that you are in a hopeless situation, please contact us. “If you have been or you are being exploited please speak with us at any Garda station by phone or in person. “We will help you. “If it is safer or more comfortable for you – call us on the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111. “If you are in an emergency or immediate danger – always call 999 or 112. “Reaching out to disclose what you’re experiencing is frightening, but I want to reassure you that An Garda Síochána has the expertise, the resolve and the capabilities to safely get you away from those that are trafficking you. “I can assure you that you will be treated with the dignity, respect, empathy and professionalism that you deserve, and in full confidence. “Human trafficking is an egregious, destructive crime that breaches a person’s fundamental human rights. “I want to also speak directly to those people who purchase sexual services - you are committing a crime. “Your criminal actions are directly facilitating organised crime groups to traffic and exploit vulnerable people. “I appeal to you to think about what you are doing and to stop the harm you are committing.” #KeepingPeopleSafe

⚠️ 12 members of an Irish high-risk criminal network arrested in Ireland and Spain following the takedown of the Ghost communication platform in September 2024. This week, Irish and Spanish law enforcement authorities took decisive action against one of Ireland’s high-risk criminal networks. In a coordinated series of raids in both countries, An Garda Síochána and Guardia Civil officers arrested 12 suspects (6 in Ireland and 6 in Spain). The criminals are suspected of involvement in large-scale drug trafficking, mainly by transporting drugs hidden in vehicles from Spain to Ireland. Law enforcement uncovered the network’s activities, including drug-related crimes such as money laundering, when it dismantled the Ghost encrypted communication platform in September 2024. In an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to evade detection, the criminals had relied on sophisticated encrypted communications and had fragmented their exchanges across multiple platforms. During the action day, however, investigators were able to trace several Ghost user handles back to members of the criminal network. More details in our press release⤵️ https://lnkd.in/e5H_bNrG

An Garda Síochána continue to investigate the activities of an International Organised Crime Group based in West Dublin. The 5 males arrested on Monday 24th March 2025 continue to be detained under the provisions of Section 50 of Criminal Justice Act, 2007, at Garda Stations across the Dublin and Eastern Garda Regions. A 6th male, aged in his 50s, has subsequently been arrested in the Dublin Region for alleged offences contrary to the Criminal Justice Act, 2006 and is also currently detained under the provisions of Section 50 of Criminal Justice Act, 2007, at a Garda Station in the Dublin Region. An Garda Síochána operations have been fully supported by Europol , the Guardia Civil (Spain) and the @ON Network which is funded by the European Commission, led by the DIREZIONE INVESTIGATIVA ANTIMAFIA (DIA). Officers from Europol, the Guardia Civil (Spain) and the @ON Network were present and supporting An Garda Síochána over the past 48 hours. An Garda Síochána has also provided support to the Guardia Civil by deploying Garda officers to Spain. An Garda Síochána is aware that the Guardia Civil have arrest 6 suspects, directly connected with this international investigation. It takes a network to defeat a network! #keepingpeoplesafe

Early bird catches the worm. As part of our ongoing investigation into the activities an organised crime group based in West Dublin, we’ve arrested five men for alleged offences contrary to the Criminal Justice Act, 2006. The men, aged in their 30s, 40s and 60s, are currently detained for questioning at Garda Stations across Dublin and the eastern region. Gardaí attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau were joined this morning by colleagues from the Emergency Response Unit, the Regional Armed Support Unit, Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation as well as the Dublin Crime Response Team. #KeepingPeopleSafe

Garda Darren Ronan and Trainee Garda Caragh Byrne were out on the beat along the River Lee in Cork City early yesterday morning when they spotted a man in the river clearly in distress. They immediately sprung to action. Trainee Byrne reported the emergency in to colleagues on her radio and sought the support of the emergency services, while Garda Ronan ran to grab a lifebuoy. They both went to the rescue of the man who was struggling in the water. Within minutes, Cork City Fire Services and the National Ambulance Service were also on scene and together they managed to get the man safely out of the water. He received medical attention and is now recovering from the frightening ordeal. No matter the circumstances, we will always be here to help. #KeepingPeopleSafe

Colleagues based in DMR South Division conducted a number of searches in residential properties and business properties this morning in Longford and Dublin, targeting an organised crime group based in South Dublin. A total of 29 vehicles were seized from a business in South County Dublin, as was evidence relating to drugs related money-laundering, and fraud offences. Further freezing orders have been placed on company accounts, freezing circa €200,000 suspected to be the proceeds of crime. The estimated value of the vehicles seized is between €500,000 and €600,000. Investigations are ongoing.

In 2024, we seized a total of 18,676 vehicles for being uninsured following the introduction of the new Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) last year. This was up by 67% on 2023. This database was set up to provide the legal authorities with the motor insurance details for all vehicles on Irish roads, allowing us to identify any uninsured vehicles in seconds through our handheld mobile devices or via our Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems. The next phase of the IMID project will see Driver Numbers added to the database. From 31 March 2025 onwards it will be an offence for any insurance provider or broker to issue a motor insurance policy where the driver number has not been provided. This means that anyone who does not provide the driver number for all named drivers on their policy will not be able to receive motor insurance. Every motorist has their own unique Driver Number which stays with them for life. The driver number is an additional data point that will help deliver greater road safety by providing An Garda Síochána with a more comprehensive insight into any offences a specific driver may have committed, making it even more difficult for those who act illegally on Irish roads to evade detection.