Concerns are being raised over a lack of examination into the pistol holster of a Detective who was murdered in Roscommon in 2020. Detective Colm Horkan was shot and killed with his own gun in Castlerea on the 17th of June, 2020 by Stephen Silver who was found guilty of Capital Murder. The issue was raised by Labour TD Alan Kelly in the Dail last night where it was stated that Detective Horkan's holster and others like it, were dangerously defective.
According to the Labour Justice spokesperson, the holsters from a saddlery in Kildare, were 'so poorly designed the firearm could be removed from the holster with retention strap fully fastened. Deputy Kelly called on the Minister to explain why it took three years for the holsters to be removed from use even though a safety notice for them had been issued in July 2020. Reacting to the issue this morning on the Joe Finnegan Show, retired Detective Inspector Pat Marry says that if an item is tagged and bagged at a crime scene, like Colm's holster was, then it should have undergone a full examination:
