The Irish flag was flying at half-mast yesterday at the launch of the first Garda high-speed patrol boat at Hodson Bay, Athlone, by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue.
Referring to the Garda patrol-car crash yesterday in which two officers had been killed, the Minister said the incident had cast gloom over all present.
"The two young men who died had paid the ultimate price in the service of their fellow citizens and I would like to express my sincere sympathies and condolences to their families and their colleagues," he said.
The Garda Commissioner, Mr Patrick Byrne, spoke of his sadness on learning of the deaths of the young men and also expressed his sympathy to the families. He said the tragic accident would be fully investigated.
Officially performing the launch of the £250,000 vessel, Colm Na Cora, the Minister said it would greatly enhance Garda crime-fighting capabilities. The 10-metre cruising patrol boat has a top speed of 40 m.p.h. Mr Byrne said that the patrol boat was essentially a "patrol car on water" and represented another strategy in Garda efforts to thwart criminals and their activities.
He said that, initially, the boat would operate from Athlone but, as more berths were located along the Shannon, it was anticipated that the entire waterway would be policed.
The Shannon was a major thoroughfare used by 10,000 boats every year, he said, and until now there had been no Garda presence there.
"The day is over when the gardai had to go out and get the loan of a boat when they wanted to check something out. We have our own vessel now," he said.
The Commissioner added that the boat would be used to fight all kinds of crime on the Shannon, from public order offences to drug-running and it was therefore necessary to have a presence on the river.