Future of unarmed gardaí under threat

OVERALL serious crime has fallen this year - but the numbers of shootings, rapes and burglaries have jumped, according to new figures.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell welcomed the overall drop, but said if the rise in shootings continued it would threaten the future of an unarmed police force.

Provisional statistics for the first quarter of 2003, compared to the same period in 2002, show there were:

1,773 fewer reported incidents of serious crime.

Five fewer murders.

19 less cases of unlawful carnal knowledge.

384 fewer incidents of sexual assault.

204 less cases of assault causing harm.

But there were also:

44 more incidents of rape.

Four more cases of aggravated sexual assault.

431 more burglaries.

29 more shootings.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell last night said he particularly welcomed the decrease in murders, serious assaults and sexual assaults.

He said the increase in rape cases was “disturbingly high”.

The minister expressed particular concern at a 54% rise in discharge of firearms offences.

He said if the present trend continued indefinitely it might be not be sustainable to keep gardaí unarmed.

“I’m very concerned about the increased use of firearms and that’s why in recent months I have been speaking about the necessity to have more serious penalties and tighten up our firearms law.”

At a garda conference earlier this month, the minister said he was considering proposals which would see people convicted of firearms offences receiving “substantial” mandatory prison sentence.

Mr McDowell said judges had to realise that the failure to hand down prison sentences for firearms offences was jeopardising the future of an unarmed police force.

The minister said he was also considering a “gun amnesty” for illegally held weapons.

There are also an estimated 212,000 legally held weapons in the state, many of which are poorly secured and are regularly targeted by criminal gangs.

Opposition politicians said the minster should draw no comfort from the provisional statistics.

Labour justice spokesman Joe Costello said almost 300 serious crimes were still being committed every day.

Fine Gael justice spokesman Jim O’Keeffe said: “While certain categories of crime show a decrease it is of real concern that gun-related crime have increased by more than 50%, rapes have increased by nearly 30% and nearly 1,300 additional households (up to 25,652) were burgled in the twelve month period to the end of March.”