The Government should team up with the chambers of commerce to introduce a comprehensive anti crime package involving the Garda, the courts, the prison system and all relevant Departments, the Fianna Fail leader said.
Speaking at Finglas Chamber of Commerce in Dublin, Mr Bertie Ahern said his party would put crime at the top of its "action plan". Only a comprehensive network of agencies would lead to an adequate plan of action.
Criticising the Government's record on crime, Mr Ahern said that, in its first year in office, 1995, there were well over 100,000 indictable crimes, "a chilling 300 serious crimes committed every day".