The Taoiseach has rejected crticism on his Government’s policy against street crime.
Speaking in the Dáil today he said that random attacks and assaults on people at night were a feature of our "modern society" that was being targeted Minister for Justice’s in his latest legislation.
Mr Ahern was responding to comments by Fine Gael leader Mr Michael Noonan, who listed a series of assaults throughout Ireland in recent weeks which have left a number of young men in a critical condition.
This morning Mr Noonan criticised the Justice Minister for his failure to provide more garda resources and branded his election pledge of another 2,000 gardaí as an "admission of failure".
Mr Noonan’s statement followed an attack in Cork city which left a Limerick student in a critically condition over the weekend. It was the fourth such attack in the city in a fortnight.