Gardai were angry last night at the decision to release the four IRA prisoners before Christmas, but there was acceptance that the releases were an integral part of the Belfast Agreement.
The four prisoners who have served sentences for the murders of Gardai Frank Hand and Seamus Quaid will be free before Christmas but under condition that they be of good behaviour.
It is understood that informal agreement has been reached that the men will avoid areas where the families of the murdered gardai still live. Peter Rogers, who was serving a 40-year term, had been living in the same part of Wexford as his victim, Det Garda Quaid, but it is understood he intends returning to his original home area in west Belfast.
The Taoiseach said yesterday that the Government had to be sensitive to the feelings of the relatives of victims, "but prisoner releases are an important part of our commitment under the Good Friday agreement and must be carried out.
"We, in turn, expect others to meet all of their commitments under the agreement," he added.
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, will decide by the end of the year whether to proceed with the releases. It is understood he has already contacted the relatives of murdered gardai about the matter. A statement issued through the Garda Press Office on behalf of the Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, said: "The decision to release those prisoners early who were convicted of the murder of serving members of An Garda Siochana has been visited on the force. It is at this time that we sympathise with the Garda families who must now relive the tragedy which was brought to their doorsteps many years ago.
"This is purely a political decision made by two governments endorsed by the people of Ireland in furtherance of a lasting peace and stability which we all strive for."
This sentiment was echoed in a statement by the Association of Chief Superintendents which said: "The decision to release these prisoners was a totally political one which flows from the Good Friday agreement, an agreement which was endorsed by the overwhelming majority of people North and South.
"The association feels very strongly for the families of the murdered gardai because they are going to have to relive the crimes visited on their loved ones. There can be little consolation for them coming up to Christmas, but if it helps the peace process there is a benefit for the country as a whole."
The Garda Representative Association (GRA), which represents the 8,000 officers of garda rank, said it was very concerned about the decision to release the prisoners, and the acting general secretary, Mr P.J. Stone, called for conditions to be imposed on the released men.
Mr Stone said his members accepted that the releases were a fait accompli, but the GRA disagreed with the decision, stating that the imposition of lengthy jail sentences for the murderers of gardai was necessary in a State which maintained an unarmed police force.
The four men will be subject to the condition that they be of good behaviour, and a Department of Justice source yesterday pointed out that this was enforceable, and if it was breached the men could be returned to prison.
The releases are expected to be implemented along with the release on parole of most of the remainder of the IRA prisoners in Portlaoise.
Relatives of the late Det Garda Frank Hand said they were dismayed and felt they had been ignored in the prisoner release process. A close relative of the late Garda Hand did not want to say any more on the issue. "There is no point in the family issuing a statement when the needs of law-abiding people are ignored", the relative said.