Calls for move against gang crimes

Reaction:There has been calls for a renewed effort to combat organised crime after figures published today showing the murder rate has jumped in the third quarter of 2007.

The CSO figures show there were 21 murders in the third quarter, an increase of 7 (+50%) on the same period last year. Attempted murders and threats also jumped from 19 in the third quarter of 2006 to 51 this in the same period this year. There were no manslaughters recorded in the third quarter of 2007.

In the 12 months to the end of September murders increased by 11, from 56 to 67. There was a steady decrease in the annualised number of recorded crimes to 102,215 in the first quarter of 2007, a decrease of just over 2%. Provisional figures for year ending September 30th, indicate a slight increase to 103,929.

Fine Gael has called for 24-hour surveillance of organised cime bosses. "The latest murder figures confirm that the threat to the State posed by criminal gangs is akin to that of the Provisional IRA 25 years ago," said Fine Gael's justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan.

"The handful of gang bosses known to the gardaí must be put under intensive and sustained pressure," he added.

"It is currently all too easy for gangs to operate with impunity. Operation Anvil was one way of clamping down on criminal behaviour but we need to go further. There must now be round-the-clock surveillance and monitoring of their every movement."

Labour's spokesman on Justice Pat Rabbitte said the latest crime statistics pain a "grim picture of the extent of our crime problem after ten years of Fianna Fail government".

"The government needs to accept that the current approach is not working and that we need a change of direction. At the top end of the crime problem we need new measures to target the gangs and put the crime bosses out of business and behind bars," he said. Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan said there had been "been successes in combating crime" but there were "significant challenges to be overcome".

"Chief among these is the number of murders being committed and the level of organised crime," Mr Lenihan said.

"While the detection rate achieved by An Garda Síochána for murders which are not related to organised crime is excellent, detections for murders related to organised crime are more difficult to achieve.

"While it is the case that such murders make up only a minority of all murders, difficulties in detection are a matter of concern. That is why I welcome the recent announcement by the Garda Commissioner of significant improvements in the way major crimes are investigated."