THE Minister for Justice had promised a series of new power for the Garda which will increase the range of offences for which suspects can be arrested without warrant.
Mrs Owen said yesterday she, had secured Government approval for legislation which will allow for arrest without warrant for serious crimes, such as obtaining property by false pretences, and carnal knowledge of girl aged between 15 and 17, for which a warrant is currently needed.
The new powers of arrest would apply to any offence punishable by a sentence of five to more years in prison.
The Minister said her Criminal Law Bill, which would include the new powers, was "long overdue".
"It is surely unacceptable that up to now the Garda's powers of arrest without warrant have no applied to all serious offences."
The planned Criminal Lab Bill, which Mrs Owen said would be published "shortly", will also abolish all distinctions between felonies and misdemeanours.
Felonies were originally the more serious offences and misdemeanours the less serious, but anomalies had arisen, the Minister said.
For example, under current law, larceny of a sum as small as a penny was deemed a felony, while obtaining property under false pretences was a misdemeanour, no matter how much the property was worth.