Crime rates far from acceptable, says Lenihan

JUSTICE Minister Brian Lenihan yesterday accepted that crime rates which included 17 homicides since August 1 were far from acceptable.

During a special debate in the Dáil on crime Mr Lenihan identified tackling gun crime, gang culture and public order offences as crucial. The debate was prompted by the callous shooting of a motorcycle garda last week.

However, the minister warned that there was no quick-fix solution for gang crime and gun attacks.

“The reprehensible gun attack on Garda Paul Sherlock last week provided evidence of the depths to which these gangs will stoop,” he said.

But later he added: “I have said before that the fight against the activities of gangs is going to be long and has to be relentless.”

Mr Lenihan said that while the developments in gun crime were “deeply disturbing”, he dwelt during long passages of his speech on the achievements of the Garda Síochána.

He pointed to the anti-gang Operation Anvil, tougher measures contained in the Criminal Justice Act, as well as a variety of measures designed to divert young people away from crime and from antisocial behaviour. He also reiterated the government target of increasing the strength of the Garda to 16,000 by 2012. The only real new element was his announcement that he will bring new proposals to create a DNA database.

However, the Government’s record on crime was condemned by the two new spokesmen on justice for Fine Gael and Labour. Charles Flanagan said that Fine Gael would be willing to co-operate with the Government if it adopted its policies on greater powers for gardaí, no automatic remission of sentences and a tougher mandatory sentencing regime.

“We have seen the emergence of drive-by shootings, tiger kidnappings and callous contract killings.

“In modern Ireland our sophisticated criminals travel abroad for practice and training. The head of the Criminal Assets Bureau says it is only a matter of time before ruthless foreign national groups began operating here.”

Labour spokesman Pat Rabbitte described the last two years as the worst in the history of the State for gun murders.

“The last two years were the worst in the history of the State for gun murders. Last year there were 27 gun murders. The previous year there were 21. The reason that we can’t ignore these statistics is because the evidence shows that the new breed of vicious criminal responsible for these gun murders believe they can escape detection,” he said.

He said that few people foresaw such a descent into violence in our society that an unarmed member of the Garda Síochána would be the victim of a casual daylight shooting.

Mr Rabbitte called for the introduction of a statutory witness protection programme as a meaningful measure to tackle drug and gang crime.