DRUG SQUAD officers from European countries have experienced difficulties working with the Europol Drugs Unit, delegates were told.
Mr Kieran O'Dwyer, head of the Garda Research Unit, said that the Garda had been operating a pilot programme aimed at improving international co-operation among police officers working in the drugs area. Officers from the Republic, Britain, France, Portugal and Spain have been taking part, joining each other's forces as "observers" during drug investigations.
Mr O'Dwyer said that officers recognised the benefits of working through the Europol Drugs Unit, based in The Hague. But they had highlighted problems relating to the quantity, quality and type of information provided.
"Their most significant concern was about demands to reveal sources of information, in particular the identities of informants." However, there had been improvements in some areas, and delays in obtaining information seemed to be limited to "a small number of countries".
Mr O'Dwyer also reported that EU countries were having difficulty in distributing information among their own agencies. "The problem of competition is likely to be of similar, if not greater, importance at international level", he said.
Improving international co-operation against drug-traffickers is one of the Government's aims during its EU presidency, which begins next month.