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.

In an unprecedented move, the minister called on all sides to stop the cycle of violence.

He said: “There is no room for bitterness or hatred. There is no room in any Irish society for anyone to go outside the law in response to any sense of grievance they may feel or a sense of vengeance they may want to satisfy.”

Every effort would be made to re-establish a sense of trust in the gardaí, he stressed.

The minister rejected claims that the situation in Limerick stemmed from a shortage of gardaí.

“The gardaí will take every step that is necessary to maintain order to re-

establish a sense of trust among the citizens, that there will not be any more of these senseless slayings,” he said.

Speaking after the emergency meeting with garda chiefs, Mr McDowell said nobody was above the law.

“The law is there and everyone in Limerick should uphold the law and stand by the forces of law and order,” he said.

“Nobody should doubt me. I intend as Minister for Justice to ensure the rule of law is maintained throughout this country.

“And if any group of people believes they can stand up to the rule of the law or that they can set themselves above the law or that they can set up an alternative system of justice they are very, very gravely mistaken.”

“Nobody is above the law as we have found out in tribunals, and nobody is below the law,” the Minister said.