A investigation is underway after a submachine gun fell from the boot of a Garda car and was found by a member of the public.
This latest incident happened on Dublin’s north quays in April.
The Irish Times reports a Heckler & Koch MP7 submachine gun fell from a vehicle driven by specialist armed response gardaí when the boot somehow opened.
It’s understood a bag containing the gun and some ammunition was found by a member of the public, who flagged down another garda car and handed it over – preventing a major security incident.
Gardaí have confirmed an investigation has been launched and a senior officer has been appointed to examine all the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Fiosrú, the Garda watchdog, says it is “not in a position to comment”.
Fiosrú’s predecessor, GSOC, did carry out a “public interest investigation” into a similar incident in 2018, when the same type of submachine gun fell from a Garda vehicle in Dublin’s south inner city.
In April 2019, it sent a non-statutory recommendation to An Garda Síochána in relation to the secure carriage of firearms in Garda vehicles.
