Murder and mayhem and Kathleen O’Toole
There are problems on the Emerald Island:
One of Ireland’s leading Catholic clergymen today called for national unity in the face of the evil of spiralling gangland murder.
As pressure mounted on the Government with five murders in six days, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said a culture of violence was beginning to devastate the capital city.
Against a background of public outrage over the murder of an innocent bystander in a gangland hit, he said Dublin communities were being ripped apart by drugs.
“There are some who feel that they have a right to callously disregard the dignity of human life - even of innocent bystanders - in order to foster their criminal interests. There can be nothing further from the message of the Gospel and we all have responsibility to denounce such violence,” the clergyman said.
Justice Minister Michael McDowell admitted the situation was serious with innocent people being put in danger.
In the latest attack, well-known criminal Gerard Byrne, 25, was gunned down outside the Mace supermarket in the International Financial Services Centre in Dublin shortly before 9pm last night.
Byrne, who was originally from nearby Ferryman’s Crossing in inner-city Dublin, was believed to have been heavily involved in armed robberies. He was arrested in Raheny a number of months ago by Irish police who believed he was on his way to carry out a murder. Mr McDowell dismissed opposition calls for the army to be deployed in parts of Dublin and insisted police had been given record levels of resources to deal with the spate of killings.
Ireland has not only U.S.-style gangland violence, but also Euro-style riots in public-housing projects:
Two 15-year-old boys, who were part of a violent gang that attacked gardaà with stones and bottles and hit a female Garda on the stomach with a brick, have been detained for two years by Judge Bryan Smyth at the Dublin Children’s Court today.
A third boy, also aged 15, who had a lesser role, was detained for two months.
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They were convicted for assaulting gardaÃ, obstruction, being drunk and disorderly and breach of the peace, arising from the violent disturbance in Ballymun, which went on for more than two hours, on the night of May 13 last.
Gardaà from six north Dublin stations and the Garda helicopter were called in to give backup.
At one stage they had to retreat before going back in to disperse the youths.
Former Boston top cop Kathleen O’Toole has an answer to the problems: The police should hire more civilians.
Minister for Justice Michael McDowell is to seek Government approval this week for the employment of more civilian staff to the Garda SÃochána to free up officers from administrative duties to fight crime.
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The new chief inspector of the Garda Inspectorate, Kathleen O’Toole, recently recommended the appointment of more civilians to the Garda SÃochána and it is understood Mr McDowell wants to fast-track those recommendations. He also wants more support staff in the Courts Service to complement the appointment of nine new judges announced by the Government last week.
