Government failure to recruit gardaí blamed for crime

LIMERICK’s crime crisis can be blamed on the Government’s failure to fulfil its election promise to recruit 2,000 extra gardaí, opposition parties claimed last night.

Fine Gael justice spokesman John Deasy said it was becoming obvious to people that the government had not been prioritising crime.

Labour justice spokesman Joe Costello said, if the government had honoured its promises, it would allow for the provision of additional personnel to Limerick and other parts of the country experiencing a serious crime problem.

Urging Minister for Justice Michael McDowell to deliver on the recruitment commitments, Deputy Deasy said it was necessary to match the crime levels with adequate resources: “You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out the gardaí are being stretched and they need assistance.

“Even though I would agree with some of the things Michael McDowell is doing and saying, he has failed because he has reneged on the most important aspect of the justice element of the Programme for Government which was the commitment to increase the gardaí by 2000.

What the government don’t get is that they can introduce as much new legislation and changes to existing laws as they want but, when it comes down to it, more gardaí on the beat and resources are the essential ingredients for low crime rates.”

According to Deputy Costello, Minister McDowell appeared to have a lack of interest in the growing crime problem as the immigration issue was the only item on his agenda.

“If Minister McDowell wanted evidence that there were not sufficient Garda numbers, it is present in the photographs of members of the Defence Forces in Limerick who had to be called in to assist the gardaí in their search for the two abducted men,” he said.

However, Junior Justice Minister Willie O’Dea said resources were not the problem.

The Limerick East TD said gardaí knew the culprits, but found difficulty in gathering sufficient evidence to mount a successful prosecution.

“I don’t think the use of that kind of emotional language from the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) is helping the situation. The garda force at its highest level in the history of the State,” he said.