Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

This morning the people of Dublin woke up to yet another murder, the 19th this year. Familiarity breeds contempt. Today, executions, hits and gun crime are rife across the capital city. It is only a few weeks since coked up psychopaths in flak jackets and top of the range cars went head to head with machine guns on the M50, which was turned into the Irish equivalent of the Los Angeles freeway. On that occasion luck, rather than the law, prevented somebody completely innocent from being murdered in the crossfire. Crime figures are not just statistics. They are the evidence of murder and terror spreading across the city and they are the reality behind the 71% increase in murder, the 22% increase in robbery and the 25% increase in theft from vehicles. This is what is behind the necessity to feed the coke habit costing €1,000 a day, which is rampant in the city and which is about to be further enhanced with the arrival of methylamphetamine from the US.

Only 12 of the 75 murders committed with weapons between 1998 and 2004 ended in conviction. The Taoiseach's Government promised to make people safe on the streets and in their homes following five years of zero tolerance introduced by the current Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism. Nine years after a change in the bail laws, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is reviewing it so that those who are out on bail cannot commit further serious crime. Does the Taoiseach accept, despite all the hyperbole and spin, that detection rates have fallen while crime rates are increasing? Does he not see the relevance of constant complaints by the Garda about the lack of facilities for its members to do their job and keep the citizens safe both in their homes and on the streets? Given the statistics I outlined and the failure over nine years to deal with the constantly increasing threat to society, what will the Taoiseach do about it?

See this speech in context