‘Soft judges’ - Gardaí work undone by court rulings

The blunt remarks directed at the judiciary by Justice Minister Michael McDowell in relation to “soft judges” on bail, and the sentences handed down to drug dealers, reflects the public frustration at this week’s events.

In what amounted to a verbal pincer movement, Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy agreed with him.

Venting his own frustration, too, in a week that saw five murders, Mr McDowell was not merely deflecting blame from the Government. In the tragic case of Anthony Campbell, the 20-year-old plumber gunned down while working in a house occupied by a major drugs dealer, his remarks made sense.