Gun killings five times higher in Ireland than UK

Gun killings in Ireland have been up to five times higher in recent years that in England and Wales despite being virtually identical a decade earlier.

A study from Aberdeen University has also found that the Government's strategy for dealing with the problem is both "misguided and ineffective".

In 2008 over 38% of murders or manslaughters in Ireland involved firearms which compares to less than 7% in England and Wales.

Ten years earlier, the levels were almost identical.

The study by Dr Liz Campbell of Aberdeen University concludes that the Government's strategy of dealing with the problem through tougher laws and longer jail terms is "misguided and ineffective".

She also argues education is key to keeping at-risk young men away from drugs and taking them out of poverty.

Dr Campbell believes that more Gardaí are needed on the streets particularily in gun crime blackspots in Dublin and Limerick.