O’Dea rules out sending army to tackle gangs

DEFENCE Minister Willie O’Dea yesterday ruled out sending in the army to tackle Limerick’s feuding gangs.

Mr O’Dea said: “Peoples feelings are running very high and peoples attitudes about bringing in the army to smash these guys and bring in fellows with baseball bats, whether it’s the IRA or vigilantes, it’s an immediate short term solution. It’s tempting certainly. Lets not go down that road. When people go down the road of vigilanteism they find that when they had a problem before, they now have a problem with the people in control of the vigilantes. Bringing in the army is the last resort. The army is there as a back up to the civil power, namely the gardaí. To bring in the army to do a job on their own would be an admission that the guards could not handle a law and order situation.”

Mr O’Dea also revealed that former Dublin City Manager, John Fitzgerald’s brief has now been enlarged to take in Southill as well as Moyross.