Threats to 'G' Men
Introduction
from Chronology
After Collins sees the files held
on the Irish Volunteers (See Apr-07-19/1) by the G Division in the Brunswick St
DMP Station, he issues warnings to selected 'G' men (members of the G division
of the DMP). In the following days, a number of G men were accosted and
threatened.
More Detail
Frank Henderson (who at this time
was O/C 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade, IRA) says in his Witness
Statement to the Bureau of Military History that around this time lower ranking
detectives were beaten up. They were threatened that they would be shot
if they did not stop spying. Henderson says that the detectives
“would not be prevented from
doing detective work against criminals. … This action has the desired result
and drove in the outer ring of police spies.” (Henderson WS 821, pg 61).
Molyneux and Kelly give the
example of Detective Denis O’Brien who was apprehended by a group of Volunteers
not far from his home near Mountjoy Prison.
He was tied to railings, gagged and told that worse would happen if he
continued his duties (Molyneux and Kelly (2020), pg
90).