Four people involved in the ramming of a Garda patrol car in the midlands yesterday are wanted for questioning in connection with a series of firearms robberies in the last five months at houses close to the River Shannon.
At least 20 legally held weapons have been stolen in robberies since the beginning of the year by a number of criminal gangs.
Yesterday's dramatic events began in Ferbane, Co Offaly, at around 10.30 a.m. A member of the public rang gardaí alleging that the occupants of a Ford Focus had been involved in some form of criminal activity.
The vehicle drove from Ferbane towards Shannonbridge, close to where gardaí had set up a checkpoint in an effort to stop the gang.
The driver of the car saw the checkpoint and rammed the Garda car just before noon. One garda was injured but not seriously. The gardaí at the scene requested assistance from the Garda helicopter and a number of Garda cars then pursued the gang towards Ballinasloe.
The Ford Focus left the road near Drumalagagh. The four people in the car got out and ran into a nearby wooded area. They were arrested within an hour and taken to Ballinasloe Garda station where they were detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
The four - two men in their early 20s, a 21-year-old and 18-year-old women - have been identified as "persons of interest" in relation to a major Garda investigation into the robbery of firearms in Offaly and Galway since the beginning of the year. Around 10 weapons have been stolen in Offaly and a similar number have been taken in robberies west of the Shannon.
Gardaí have identified a number of vehicles seen in the vicinity of the robberies when they took place. The car used to ram gardaí yesterday was one of the suspect vehicles.
Supt Charles Devine from Birr Garda station said he could not comment on any possible connection between the four arrested yesterday and the recent robberies. However, he said the robbery of the firearms was an issue of serious concern for gardaí in the region.
"We would urge anybody who has a weapon to keep it stored properly and to lock it up when it is being stored," he said. Gun owners should be extra vigilant and report to gardaí any suspicious activity around their properties.
News of the robberies comes at a time when gun crime is on the increase in the State. The latest Garda crime figures revealed a 54 per cent increase in the discharging of firearms between January and March.
Gardaí believe weapons, particularly high velocity semi-automatic pistols, are being imported by drugs gangs when they are buying from international cartels. The weapons are often included in drug deals as sweeteners.
The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, has expressed his concern at the issue. He has urged the courts to impose lengthy sentences on those convicted of gun crime and has indicated his intent to introduce new legislation providing for harsher sentences. He is also considering a gun amnesty in an effort to take illegally held weapons out of circulation.
