The Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Condon, is to meet Garda Commissioner Mr Pat Byrne in Dublin today. The meeting, the first between the two men, was described as a "goodwill visit" by a spokesman for Scotland Yard yesterday.
Sir Paul will also meet the Deputy Commissioner in charge of operations, Mr Noel Conroy, and senior officers from units including the Criminal Assets Bureau, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Garda National Drugs Unit.
In the last two years, co-operation between British police forces and the gardai has improved with a number of joint operations against criminal gangs, particularly those shipping drugs through Liverpool, Manchester and London.
Sir Paul will be accompanied by his staff officer and his director of public affairs. A Garda spokesman said the meeting was intended to "foster greater co-operation between London and Dublin".
The two men are expected to discuss the threat from subversive groups, including the Continuity IRA and the "Real IRA". Sir Paul was Commissioner during some of the most serious IRA attacks on London, including the Docklands bomb in February 1996. Sir Paul was appointed commissioner in February 1993. He served in the West End and Bethnal Green in London before moving to the Kent Constabulary.
