Fine Gael National Press Office Press Release

..................................................................

Hound the Limerick criminals out of business & make gang membership illegal - Flanagan

Fine Gael Justice Spokesman Charlie Flanagan TD has called for Limerick's criminals to be hounded out of business and for gang membership to be criminalised after the latest low when houses were riddled with submachine gun fire.

"The targeting of a housing estate with a submachine gun while women and children were inside marks a new level of depravity. One or two parts of the city are now only a step away from open gang warfare.

"I welcome all the initiatives being taken by Gardaí and other State organisations to restore law and order to the affected parts of the city. Massive amounts of goodwill have, and will continue, to be expended in an effort to remove the blight of violent criminality. However, there remains a very real threat from psychopaths who have absolutely no regard for anything the State has done so far.

"The only way to remove this blight is to hound the criminals out of business. Justice Minister Brian Lenihan has so far failed to live up to his promise to provide intensive round-the-clock surveillance of gangland criminals, and to bug their activities. Four years ago, the Association of Garda Sergeants & Inspectors wrote to former Justice Minister Michael McDowell asking for greater powers to conduct electronic surveillance of major drug dealers and other serious criminals. This has never happened.

"These two measures must immediately be implemented. Fine Gael has already called for Gardaí to get the resources they need to mount 24 hour surveillance operations of the most serious criminals across Ireland.

"Gardaí have reported that gangland is centred on a small number of individuals. If these criminals cannot operate, they will lose access to the enormous sums of money generated by their illegal activities, and will not be able to conduct their vendettas with ever more lethal weapons."