Kevin Lunney attack: Police deny failing family

The Chief Constable Simon Byrne and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris took part in a cross-border crime conference

The PSNI Chief Constable and Garda Commissioner have denied they "failed" the family of a businessman who was abducted and attacked last week.

The comments were made at a cross-border crime conference in County Cavan on Wednesday.

Kevin Lunney, a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings, was driving from work to his home in Kinawley when he was attacked on 17 September.

The 50-year-old was left with "severe and savage" injuries.

• People 'shocked but not surprised' by Quinn attack

• Quinn workers call for attacks to end

Police investigating the attack are appealing for information on a "distinctive" white transit type van.

Speaking on Wednesday, the leader of Ireland's main opposition party Fianna Fáil, called for the establishment of a cross-border crime agency.

Micheál Martin said the assault on Mr Lunney had shocked and angered people across the country.

He added that the criminals have no respect for state authorities or the law and operate in a "twilight zone" of their own with savagery and murderous intent.

Kevin Lunney is the chief operating officer at Quinn Industrial Holdings

Chief Constable Simon Byrne said an investigation is ongoing and he is receiving "regular briefings", but added that now was not the time to speculate on whether Mr Lunney should have been given more police protection after previous threats.

Posters marked "wanted" and branding Mr Lunney and other Quinn Industrial Holdings directors as "traitors" appeared last year in Derrylin, County Fermanagh.

Mr Byrne said it was "too early to rush to the hindsight test" on what police could have done differently, as he has been briefed that "this particular escalation in violence came out of nowhere".

He added that the PSNI has had an uplift in its budget to recruit more police officers because of Brexit.

Earlier on Wednesday, officers were told that leave restrictions would be in place during the Brexit period, between October and November.

'Vicious individuals'

"We're putting 190 extra officers into border areas to raise levels of visibility and reassurance."

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said both forces are "sharing information and evidence with each other" in relation to the case, and stressed that the investigation in County Cavan "is not short of resources".

"It is supported by national units and we're following up lines of inquiry. From Monday, an armed response unit will be based in Cavan."

Appealing to the public to help, he added: "There's been a lot of speculation and I don't want to add to that speculation about who these individuals are, other than to say they are vicious individuals, they had some degree of organisation but I don't want to, in effect, 'big them up'.

"We need the public support in terms of bringing them to justice and I want to reassure the public of our ongoing determination to do that."