As many as 11 people have died because of the activities of criminal gangs in the State since the start of last year, and in about two-thirds of the cases charges have still to be brought. This is out of a total of about 48 killings.

Of the other violent deaths, about 30 can be defined as either "domestic" incidents, where the victim was related to the perpetrator, or brawls, where the victims died in violent incidents where drink or drugs were involved.

In seven cases the victims were murdered by people unknown to them or who remain unidentified.

Gangland killings have been increasing in the past year after a period of three or four years when this phenomenon had largely disappeared.

Gardai attribute this to the emergence of a number of criminal gangs, particularly in Dublin and Limerick.

In Dublin, there has been a noticeable increase in crimes such as armed robbery. There were about 140 such robberies in the city in the past year, a marked increase on the previous two years but still nothing like the number in the 1970s and 1980s. According to Garda sources, armed violence in the city can largely be attributed to the activities of a small number of criminal families or gangs.

Some of the most serious robberies have been carried out by gangs whose members are currently on bail on serious charges and are awaiting trial. According to Dublin detectives some of these gangs have decided they will raise large amounts of money before being returned for trial and probably imprisoned.

The Garda sources say between 200 and 300 criminals are currently on bail, and a considerable proportion of them are actively involved in crimes such as robbery or drug-dealing.

Outside Dublin gardai are particularly worried about the activities of two criminal gangs, one from Limerick and the other from Cork city.

The Limerick gang members are believed to be determined to amass large sums of money for their families and have been implicated in a large number of armed robberies in the west.

The Cork gang has been travelling across the State carrying out raids as far afield as Mayo and Sligo. This gang are all members of one extended family.

Again, local gardai say they appear intent on amassing a large amount of money before going to prison. Detectives investigating their crimes are understood to have some 40 books of evidence prepared in relation to outstanding court proceedings.

Most of the gangland murders tend to occur in the city, and in the majority of cases no one has been charged.

Senior gardai in Dublin said yesterday the twin murders of Patrick Murray (19) and Darren Carey (20) may not have been an entirely calculated act.

Information reaching the Garda suggests Carey and another man might have abducted Murray with the intention of punishing him for having lost a consignment of heroin seized at Dublin Airport on December 3rd.

It is believed the intention was to beat and possibly shoot and injure Murray, who was forced to strip naked. However, it appears that in the course of a struggle Murray was shot dead and Carey panicked.

It is believed the man who shot Murray then turned the shotgun on Carey and killed him so he could not be a witness to the killing.

He then brought both bodies to Kearneystown Bridge in Co Dublin and dumped them in the Grand Canal some time over the New Year.

A Ballyfermot man in his mid-20s is being sought for questioning about the murders.