During one incident a man got out of a taxi and threw contraband over the wall at Wheatfield Prison
CCTV and garda work is preventing serious problems
COPPER pipes and drones are among the ways that people attempt to smuggle contraband into Wheatfield Prison.
Some people caught attempting this may have been pressured into doing so due to a debt owed by a family member, according to gardai.
The Echo went on a ride along this week with Detective Sergeant Aidan Shaughnessy, and Detective Garda Sharon Hanley for Operation Meacan, which targets the use of e-bikes and e-scooters involved in drug dealing and criminality.
Contraband in prisons has it’s own specific response by authorities – Operation Throwover.
“It took them a while to come up with that one in the marketing department,” quipped Hanley, as the unmarked garda car passed by the facility.
Detective Sgt Shaughnessy says CCTV is helpful in identifying culprits, with cameras catching people getting out of a taxi, throwing contraband over the wall, and getting back into the taxi after it has done a u-turn.
“Mobile phones in prison are worth about €700,” said Shaughnessy.
Last July, TD Mark Ward (SF) asked Justice Minister if anti-drone technology for prisons would be more cost effective than netting.
In response, the Minister said enhanced netting at two prisons has eliminated contraband deliveries, and that gardai and the Irish Prison Service continue to examine all technologies that might assist in making prisons more secure including anti-drone tech.
High quality CCTV cameras have been so effective that authorities had to build a steel structure at the base of one at the junction of Cherry Orchard Avenue/Drive, to prevent criminals taking it down a number of years ago.
During the ride along, detectives explain how CCTV, along with old fashioned police work, has been instrumental in kerbing serious problems along the Grand Canal, local parks, drug dealing and arson attacks.
Arson attacks have become a relatively new phenomenon in Dublin in recent years. To make matters worse, it is often young males directed to carry out the attack, and as they are not known for their due diligence, the wrong homes have been hit.
One such case was on Landen Road, Ballyfermot, last May – an innocent family who were lucky to survive with their lives but the home was destroyed.
The Echo understands the target was located at another address on the road.
CCTV determined which way the two youths arrived to Landen Road that night, and another male who provided fuel from a service station for the attack.
“A lot of garda were involved in that investigation. Someone would have gone to all the houses nearby checking for CCTV. We can’t just request CCTV from people, that comes from a Judge,” said Shaughnessy.
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