Criminal gangs are out of control and can now "kill at will", the Labour Party's spokesman on justice said this afternoon.
Speaking after the latest victim of an apparent gangland killing was named by gardaí, Mr Joe Costello said the situation needs "an immediate response from the Garda and the Minister for Justice.
"I do not underestimate the difficulties gardaí face in combating these vicious gangs, but clearly the current tactics are not working and a review is needed," he said.
"This spate of killings hardly seems to register at all on the priority list of the Minister for Justice," Mr Costello added.
Earlier the results of a post-mortem found the latest victim of gangland violence in north Dublin died of two shots to the head.
The dead man was named by gardaí as Patrick Anthony Sheridan (27) of Rathoath Avenue, Finglas, Dublin 11.
He had been missing since Monday. His body was found yesterday afternoon in a place known locally as the Trench on Scribblestown Lane after a tip-off. He is thought to have been killed two or three days ago.
A hood had been placed over the victim's head before he was shot twice with a handgun and dumped in a location where a another shooting victim had been shot and left for dead. On that occasion, the man survived.
Gardaí have appealed for public help but are understood to have a definite lead pointing to a drug baron believed to be personally responsible for another killing linked to two other killings in Finglas and Ballymun this year.
However, detectives have not established why Mr Sheridan was targeted but have moved to assure the public that the culprits will be caught.
Det Insp Brian Sherry said: "We're not afraid of them. We're prepared to tackle these people. But we do need the assistance of members of the public."
"I believe in the past months there has been a number of incidents in the area which have caused fear and the criminals who are operating in that area are working on the fear aspect of this."