McDowell meets senior gardaí over gang violence

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell met with senior Gardaí this afternoon to discuss gang-related violence following the murder…

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell met with senior Gardaí this afternoon to discuss gang-related violence following the murder of a 22 year-old man in the Donaghmede area of north Dublin last night.

Mr James Purdue was returning to the Grattan Hall complex where he lived with his girlfriend and child when he was shot several times by a gunman who then left in a dark car.

He is the 29th person to be murdered in the State and the sixth murder victim in the Coolock area so far this year.

Minister McDowell met with Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy and Deputy Commissioner for Operations Fachtna Murphy this afternoon and discussed steps being taken by An Garda Síochána to tackle gang activity.

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The Department of Justice said this evening that Minister McDowell told the Commissioner that any resource required by him would be provided by the State.

The Commissioner advised the Minister that a garda crackdown on suspects "will be continued relentlessly and will intensify over the coming weeks."

According to gardaí, 20 murder cases have already been solved this year and files have either been sent to the DPP or are being prepared to be sent to the DPP.

The Department said the Minister will brief the Taoiseach and his cabinet colleagues on his meeting with the Garda Commissioner tomorrow.

Opposition politicians have condemned the latest killing in the area.

Fine Gael justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe called on Minister for Justice Michael McDowell to issue a status report on the Garda unit set up last year to tackle organised crime.

"This is now the third murder in a small area of the northside around the Kilbarrack/Donaghmede area since the shooting of Donna Cleary," said Mr O'Keeffe.

"Dublin is awash with handguns which can be bought for as little as €220 and can be rented out for an even lower rate. When weapons are so easily available there has clearly been a breakdown of law and order," he said.

"The annual murder rate has shot up by 42 per cent since this Government came to power in 1997."

Labour TD for the area Tommy Broughan said gunmen "appear to be able to act with impunity across our city.

"It is clear that the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell and his predecessors have absolutely failed in one of their most central duties to tackle the criminal gangs that are increasingly plaguing our society and ensure the safety of citizens on our streets," he added.