Irish police to ‘fully co-operate’ with UK riot probes

Irish justice minister Helen McEntee made the commitment on Thursday.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

Irish police will provide “full co-operation” to investigations into anyone who took part in recent violent disorder in the UK, Ireland’s justice minister has said.

Helen McEntee said she reaffirmed a shared commitment with the UK Government on a range of matters during a call with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

Ms McEntee said An Garda Siochana, Ireland’s police service, would fully co-operate with all investigations involving any people from Ireland who have participated in recent riots.

In a statement, she said: “We discussed the ongoing disturbances across the United Kingdom over the last week.

“We spoke about the common challenges faced by governments and countries across Europe, including similar escalations of violence in Ireland in recent times with anti-migrant undercurrents.

“Assaulting police officers, burning buildings and attacking public amenities cannot be tolerated in a democratic society.

“We agreed on the importance of countering racism, supporting our migrant communities, and bringing to justice the perpetrators of such terrible violence.

“I noted the strong, ongoing co-operation between the gardai and UK police services and assured the Home Secretary of the full co-operation of gardai, if needed, on investigations involving any people from this jurisdiction who have participated in acts of violent disorder.

“We also spoke about protecting the Common Travel Area, which is vital to the daily lives of so many Irish and British citizens, and our joint commitment to preventing any abuse of it.”