Machine gun could have saved murdered garda, Agsi conference told

Garda sergeants and inspectors have called on Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan to reverse the withdrawal of the Uzi machine gun from use by detectives.

Some in the Garda middle management ranks believe the withdrawal of the weapon has effectively given well armed criminal gangs an advantage in that they now have more powerful and intimidating weapons than gardai.

It has also been suggested at the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (Agsi) that if Det Garda Adrian Donohoe had had an Uzi machine gun on the night he was murdered in Co Louth in January, he may not have been killed.

During debate at the conference in Sligo today, Insp Walter Kilcullen from Lucan Garda station in Co Dublin said he believed the withdrawal of the weapons from service two years ago was akin to asking Garda on traffic duties to return their motorbikes. And he believed the fact Det Garda Donohoe did not have a more powerful weapon than the Sig pistol he was carrying at the time of his murder may have been the difference between being shot dead or surviving.

"Maybe that night, if he had an Uzi submachine gun what happened may not have happened," Insp Kilcullen told delegates. "The appearance of the Uzi submachine gun is more intimidating and powerful than a Sig handgun.”

Many in the force believe the greater range of the Uzi effectively affords gardaí a greater distance in standing off an armed siege or armed criminal than when using smaller weapons. Others believe taking the Uzi out of commission has sent a signal to major criminal gangs that the challenge to them from the force has been weakened.

Delegates were told today that criminals and dissident republicans would not fear smaller weapons as much, thus affording them a psychological advantage.

Sgt Danny Coholan of the armed Regional Support Unit based in Cork said he did not believe smaller weapons like handguns were not as effective in dealing with sieges or barricade-style incidents.

Other delegates said while the guns had been taken out of commission, they were still in storage and could be reintroduced with little difficultly or delay.