Gun-related killings - Gardaí must get resources

In the past 10 years there have been 161 gun-related killings, but only 21 people have been convicted of those murders, which amounts to just 13%.

Even that figure is misleading because there were no convictions at all in 2007 or 2008, and there were only two convictions in each of the two previous years.

The Garda Síochána have not been pressing for legislation, but there are questions about the resources available to them. They must be given what they require, as resources should never be an issue in such matters.

When criminals attack each other, there may be a tendency to ignore their behaviour, but then there is outrage when some innocent person becomes a victim through a case of mistaken identity, as was the case with the murder of rugby player Shane Geoghegan in Limerick last year.

In the midst of the public outrage at that time, there were suggestions about providing the law enforcement agency with extra resources, such as removing the right of silence, and authorising the use of evidence gathered by a variety of surveillance techniques that have proved successful elsewhere.

This gun crime is a recipe for social disaster. It must be tackled now in a determined way.