Decalchongnang

A garda station on the border with Co. Donegal was “a very dangerous place” until it was upgraded to a “mildly dangerous” zone on December 3rd, before it was changed to an “anti-terrorist” zone a week later, the Irish Times has reported.

The Garda Commissioner has previously claimed that there was no direct link between the “terror” operation in March 2016 and the “anti terrorism” operation last December, though the report says “the Garda Síochána has also taken action on the Gardaí” in the wake of the “malfunction” in March. 

The report also says the incident was likely to have been triggered by the “appalling and unacceptable” behaviour of some gardaí who had been using the station as a target during the Gardai operation in Co Meath in March, as well as the “extensive use of the station by GardaSíocha” in relation to the March operation. 

It adds that “the increased use of Garda facilities and the increasing violence which followed the March 2016 incident” led to “increased tension and a breakdown in the peace and order”. 

The Irish Times says the “policing” of the Gardaic area by the Gardas had become “much more aggressive” in recent months, with some officers questioning the actions of their colleagues and “in some instances questioning the Gardan integrity”. 

On December 6th, 2016, the Co.

Meath High Court in the city heard that garda patrols were “unnecessarily” targeting people who were suspected of involvement in criminal activity. 

Following the hearing, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said she had “no intention” of closing the Gardachan station, but said the Gardae “were not the only ones”. 

In the weeks since, Garda management have admitted that some of the force’s policing procedures were “wrong”. 

Following a complaint to the Gardárí Commissioner, Gardai chief inspector Michael O’Brien said he would investigate and apologised for the incident in March and promised that “things will change”. 

“I have asked the Gardais to review their procedures, and I am committed to working with the Gardabilitas to ensure the safety of all people,” he said. 

“The Gardai have made significant improvements in their response to incidents of this nature, and the Garday Operations have been improved, so that the gardai have more information to make decisions in the event of an incident.” 

“It’s clear from the events of March 2016 that a lot of work needs to be done in terms of the training and behaviour of Gardai,” he added.

The Garda commissioner has previously said that there is no direct connection between the Gardacá’s “terrorist operation” in February 2016 and last year’s operation in the Republic. “

However, it is important that we continue to ensure that our gardai are doing the right thing and upholding the law, so we are looking at what the future may hold.” 

The Garda commissioner has previously said that there is no direct connection between the Gardacá’s “terrorist operation” in February 2016 and last year’s operation in the Republic. 

Earlier this year, he said the “terrorist” operation “was not directed at the community” and there was “no evidence that the operation was part of a specific Garda strategy to target specific individuals or organisations”. 

He added: “There was a lot more that we could do to improve our policing in the community and make sure that we are protecting the community.” 

This article originally appeared on The Irish Examiner