The failure of the Garda to respond to information from the Austrian authorities about possible Irish involvement in a global child pornographic ring has prompted deep unease. All the more so when the definitive nature of the public comments made by the Austrian police has been matched by conflicting responses from the Garda which smack of a futile effort at damage limitation.
It is now known that on August 22nd last year, the Garda received - via Interpol - a bulletin from Austrian police relating to an operation which had identified more than 2,000 computers in 77 countries, including two in Ireland, which had been used to view videos and pictures of young children being sexually abused. After details of the operation were made public last Wednesday, the Garda disputed the fact that it had been informed. It subsequently confirmed that the bulletin had been received and expressed regret it had not been acted on.
Notwithstanding the fact that the alert is said to have been one of 180 received from Interpol that day, it is inconceivable that information relating to Irish computer users and child pornography would not prompt a response. This raises questions about the nature of the Austrian bulletin. How specific was it? Was there sufficient information to require further contact? Garda sources complained of poor presentation and lack of follow-up contact by the Austrians. But damagingly - from a Garda perspective - it appears to have been detailed enough to evoke a response from all other European countries involved except Ireland. Several South American countries also failed to respond.
Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has spoken of human error by people "working hard" and has pointed out - reasonably - that we can all make mistakes. Implicit in his comments is the message that some form of witch-hunt is inappropriate. This is correct. But questions remain about the nature of the error? Was the bulletin actually read by anyone? If so, why did they not act? Was it misplaced? Is sufficient manpower available to properly process the 200 or so pieces of information that flow from Interpol every day?
Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy has appointed a senior officer to carry out an inquiry and his findings must be made public. Equally, whatever deficiencies are identified by him must be addressed immediately in order to restore public confidence. In a world where crime knows no frontiers, it is essential that the channels of information between the Garda and international police agencies operate efficiently. Otherwise we may pay a very high price.