Armed gardaí drafted in to patrol flashpoints

EXTRA gardaí have been drafted into Limerick as Justice Minister Michael McDowell pledged to restore law and order.

Mr McDowell held an emergency meeting yesterday with Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne and Deputy Commissioner Noel Conroy to draw up a plan in response to the escalation of violent crime in the city.

To deal with the situation, armed detectives from the Cork area had been deployed to Limerick and officers from the Emergency Response Unit from Dublin were patrolling recognised flashpoints, the minister said.