Battle on crime continues, says Ahern

Some criminals were prepared to kill to protect their position, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said in response to the latest killing in north Dublin.He said the fight against crime was an ongoing battle.

"It has always been that way, and it will continue to do so. That does not only hold true for this country but for every western democracy. We have to keep dealing with the small but vicious and ruthless group of criminals who are involved in this.

"They will resort to any kind of action and the murders in north Dublin, and the greater Dublin area, over the past few years are part of this. We continue to prioritise the fight against criminals and deal with this issue."

Mr Ahern added that Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy had briefed Minister for Justice Michael McDowell in considerable detail on the investigations into 29 murders this year, 13 of which involved a firearm.

Some 20 of those cases had been solved, and files had been sent, or were being prepared to be sent, to the DPP.

On the other nine murders, the commissioner had updated the Minister on the investigations and briefed him on the issues arising.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said one of the principal reasons why people without respect for life or limb continued to do as they did was that they believed they would not be caught.

"The annual rate of murder has increased by 42 per cent since the current Government took office in 1997. Teacher unions have reported teachers being threatened with handguns. Headline crime detection rates have fallen in each of the past four years.

"These are serious crimes, including murder, rape, aggravated assault, burglary and theft.

"Some 100,000 such crimes are committed every year on the watch of the absent Minister for Justice. If he survives until next year he will have presided over 500,000 such crimes."

Mr Kenny said last week he had met the president of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, where three gardaí were attending on McCabe scholarships. That country had ample experience in successfully dealing with this kind of gangland murder in cities across the United States.

Was it not time that such expertise was brought to areas of Dublin where people were terrified that this type of gangland crime would walk in the door?

Mr Ahern said one death was a death too many; one crime a crime too many.

"We must not portray crime levels as being at the same level as New York state. Our numbers are high, but have not changed much in recent years.

"Headline crimes may be approaching 500,000 in the past five years but the figures for headline crime were the same some years previously. That is a hopeless argument for us to discuss."

Mr Ahern said that in 1996 and 1997, and every year since, there had been 100,000 such crimes but that was not the issue.

"The Garda Síochána is better resourced, with better laws and equipment.

"It deals with 500,000 more people, and crime rates have reduced when measured per 1,000 people.

"The Garda Síochána is dealing with vicious people fighting over their patch for drugs and related issues."