EXCLUSIVE

‘IT WILL SPREAD’ 

Ex senior garda warns knife crime should be ‘treated like a virus’ as Irish Sun launches new Knives Cost Lives campaign

• Published: 7:30, 15 Feb 2021
• Updated: 9:27, 17 Feb 2021

KNIFE crime in Ireland should be treated like a virus, a former senior member of the gardai has warned.

Retired Assistant Commissioner Pat Leahy claimed it will spread if not tackled – and insisted that community support is as crucial as it was during the garda crackdown on gangland in 2016.

He told the Irish Sun: “If we ignore knife crime it will spread and there needs to be a long term strategy put in place. This isn’t going to happen overnight.”

Mr Leahy — who had responsibility for policing in Dublin during the deadly Kinahan and Hutch feud — also told how it was essential for community gardai to receive the necessary resources to address the problem.

He spoke exclusively to the Irish Sun following the launch of our ‘Knives Cost Lives’ campaign aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of knife crime.

Although welcoming the Garda response, Mr Leahy told how it was “essential” for gardai to continue working in partnership with the community to address their concerns over knife crime.