Gardaí in Dublin were yesterday forced to mount a search in the inner city for a man who gained entry to a Garda station and made off with property, including an air rifle and bullet-proof vest.
The man, who is well-known to gardaí, was first arrested early yesterday on a public order offence. He was taken to Fitzgibbon Street Garda station, according to a Garda source.
He was detained there overnight, before being released on bail yesterday morning. As the man left the station, he spotted an open window. He climbed up a drainpipe and gained access, through the window, to a detective sergeant's office.
A number of items confiscated from another suspect, including the air rifle and bullet-proof vest, were being stored temporarily in the office.
The man left the station through the window with the air rifle and bullet-proof vest. It is understood he also took a weighing scales and a quantity of cannabis resin.
A short time later, officers noticed the items were missing. They began a search for the man and he was arrested in the Seán McDermott Street area at 8.30 a.m.
He was taken to Store Street Garda station, where he was detained.
The Labour spokesman on justice, Mr Joe Costello, said he had witnessed gardaí conducting searches and house-to-house inquiries in the Seán McDermott Street area late into yesterday afternoon.
That the search was ongoing for eight hours after the robbery indicated that gardaí had not recovered all the stolen items, he said. He added: "You would have to ask yourself - if this is the security arrangement in Fitzgibbon Street, with people climbing in windows, what system is in place elsewhere?"
The Minister for Justice and the Garda should clarify if prosecutions have been put at risk because of yesterday's events, Mr Costello said.
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