Ahern promises increased penalties for gun crime

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said this afternoon it was time to "get tough" on those convicted of murders and other gun crimes during a heated debate in the Dáil.

Mr Ahern joined other party leaders in extending his sympathy to the family of Donna Cleary, who was shot dead in a gun attack in Coolock at the weekend.

The Taoiseach said the "cold-blooded" killing was "an act of barbarism" and pledged to "get far tougher" on those convicted of murders and other gun crimes. He said he believed "a life sentence should mean life".

Mr Ahern confirmed that the new Criminal Justice Bill will contain stiffer penalties for gun crimes and said Minister for Justice Michael McDowell would introduce a series of amendments to the Bill in the near future.

He said there will be mandatory minimum sentences, of between five and ten years, for certain firearms offences. These will include the possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances, possession of a firearm with criminal intent, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, possession of a firearm while hijacking a vehicle, and use or production of a firearm to resist arrest.

The new offences will also include the modification of firearms such as sawing-off a shotgun. It will also be a criminal offence to be a member of a criminal gang.

Mr Ahern said Mr McDowell also intends to establish a statutory basis for an amnesty during which firearms can be surrender to Gardai before increased fines and penalties are introduced.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny attacked Mr McDowell for not delivering on his promise last year of mandatory jail sentences and an amnesty. "Nothing has happened," he said. "We are bogged down with the Criminal Justice Bill."

He claimed detection rates for headline crimes are plummeting while the "system is clogged with promises of legislation." He said there is "anarchy in the streets and in the suburbs" of Dublin.

"When are you, as head of Government, going to take this matter seriously?" Mr Kenny asked the Taoiseach.

During a heated debate in the chamber, Mr Ahern insisted there was already "very tough" legislation in place to deter gun crime, but accepted there was a need to "hurry up" the new legislation as gun crime becomes more common. He insisted that Garda resources were at an all-time high.

Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte accused the Government of complacency in the past "so long as gangsters were killing gangsters". He claimed the Taoiseach and Mr McDowell were engaged in a "calculated" attempt to blame the judiciary for not imposing mandatory sentences on those convicted of gun crimes and murders.