Ahern unhappy with crime figures but defends garda resources

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern admitted yesterday he was unhappy with the latest crime figures, but claimed the Government was giving the gardaí the resources to tackle the problem.

He also insisted that, despite the increased number of crimes committed, the ratio of offences per thousand of population was actually down.

He was responding to criticism of the Government’s record from Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny in the Dáil.