Property worth €5.7 million seized during 'Anvil'

Gardaí have seized property worth €5.7 million since starting an operation last May to tackle organised crime in Dublin.

Figures released by the Garda today show Operation Anvil led to the seizure of 3,653 cars under Section 41 of the Road Traffic Act and 359 firearms were recovered.

Items with a total value of €5.7 million, including cash, were seized by officers between May 17th, 2005, and Feburary 19th last.

A total of 24,758 checkpoints were set up during the period, and 1,641 arrests were made. Of the arrests, 23 were for murder, 411 in relation to serious assaults, 828 following burglaries and 379 for robbery.

A total of 7,705 searches for drugs were carried out, while 795 searches relating to theft took place. Some 718 searches for firearms were carried out.

In December Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said he wanted to see greater priority given to tackling organised crime. He made his comments after the number of gangland-style killings doubled to 20 last year. He said the priority should be organised crime and drugs "with particular reference to bringing the gun culture associated with it under control".

Today's figures were released hours after it emerged a man with his three-year-old daughter was shot at in Coolock last night. The man (25) was leaving his car with his daughter when he was shot at and hit once in the leg by a lone gunman. His daughter was unhurt.

Following the shoooting Fine Gael MEP for Dublin Gay Mitchell called for a new firearms amnesty to make the capital safer.

"The shooting of a man in front of his three year old daughter in Coolock is a horrifying reminder of how widespread firearms are in Dublin.

"Last year's firearms amnesty went some way towards clearing illegal weapons from the streets, but it clearly did not do enough. The problem of illegal firearms is actually getting worse under this Government."