The war on crime - There can only be one winner

ANYONE who cares for the future of this society must hope that measures announced yesterday by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to try to end Dublin’s gang war succeed. However, that hope cannot ignore reality or pretend that any one set of measures will end the carnage that has cost at least seven lives since September.

The first concern is that an organisation struggling to retain credibility and led by a management structure — and entrenched culture — indicted by objective report after objective report must be front and centre of this initiative. At a moment when its stock is at a particularly low ebb, An Garda Síochána will welcome extra resources for this pressing challenge, but there are issues other than resources in play.

This is confirmed by advice offered by senior civil servants when they recently briefed Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe. The civil servants cautioned against allocating further resources unless management introduces “a far-reaching reform programme ... An Garda Síochána need to address poor management”. The officials warn that if more resources are promised, “without demanding the type of change that all other modern police forces have been through, it will serve only to ingrain further those practices”.