TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen and Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern are due to meet Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy today to discuss the escalating problem of gangland crime in Limerick following the shooting dead of Shane Geoghegan in the city.
The meeting was specifically requested by Mr Cowen and takes place in his office in Government Buildings before today's Cabinet meeting. Mr Cowen will be fully briefed on the murder, the main figures on Limerick's organised crime scene and on the Garda's responses.
Mr Murphy has already spoken to Mr Ahern several times since Mr Geoghegan's mistaken identity killing on the Kilteragh housing estate in Dooradoyle just after 1.30am on Sunday.
Opposition parties have strongly criticised the Government, saying it needs to act more decisively in introducing tough new measures to deal with Limerick's feuding gangs.
Labour's Jan O'Sullivan TD, from Limerick, said the murder was "shocking beyond belief". She called for the introduction of long-promised legislation allowing electronic surveillance to be used to secure convictions.
Fine Gael's Michael Noonan TD said he had known three generations of the Geoghegan family and the city was "absolutely appalled" at the killing. He said the sworn evidence of a senior Garda officer should be sufficient to secure a conviction for gang membership.
Mr Ahern has described Mr Geoghegan's murder as "an absolutely awful crime committed by scum". He said gardaí in Limerick had one of the best records in the country in solving serious crime. He insisted gardaí had sufficient resources and adequate legislation, noting Garda numbers in Limerick had increased by 11 per cent this year to 625 members. CCTV had been installed in many housing estates and the Emergency Response Unit and new Regional Support Unit had also been deployed.
"At the end of the day, all the technology and all the resources will not better the information that the ordinary general public can bring. And there are people who know these scum in their society. I would appeal for them to come forward."
It has emerged that up to nine shots were fired at Mr Geoghegan as he tried to run from the gunman to his home just yards from where he was killed. He had spent Sunday at a friend's house nearby watching the Ireland-Canada rugby game.
The 28-year-old, who was engaged to be married and played rugby for Garryowen, was wounded three times in the upper body and once in the head. Gardaí believe the killer was waiting for a member of the Keane-Collopy crime gang but mistook Mr Geoghegan for the intended victim. The gang in question has been involved in a long-running drugs feud with the McCarthy-Dundon gang in the city.
Garda sources said it is most likely one gunman was involved and believe a second man drove the dark coloured Renault Espace getaway car, which was found burned out at Rossbrien on Sunday morning.