Ireland under-policed and the streets unsafe: Labour Party

The Labour Party has called for a complete overhaul of the Garda organisation and for the creation of an Ombudsman to help tackle Ireland's spiralling street crime problems.

Speaking at the Party's annual conference in Killarney last night, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte attacked the Government's record on crime and called for the setting up a new Garda Authority.

He said Ireland was under-policed and unsafe.

"A climate of fear is nothing new to residents of large housing estates in our cities, or indeed to far too may areas in rural Ireland," he said.

"They know only far too well what it means to be under-policed, and yes, we do need more gardaí, especially community gardaí, but we need them to be well managed. efficiently deployed and properly accountable"