Dublin is now "a more deadly city than London", the leader of the Labour Party claimed in the Dail this afternoon.
During leader's questions in the Dail, the Mr Pat Rabbitte launched a strong attack on the Government after a second gangland-linked shooting in a week occurred in Dublin.
"We had another killing in this city last night," Mr Rabbitte told Mr Ahern. "There were 62 homicides in Ireland last year. Dublin is now a more deadly city than London.
"At least eight that we know of those 62 homicides were so-called gangland killings. Not one person has been charged with any of these killings," he added. Last night a 40-year-old was gunned down in Farrell's pub in Clanbrassil Street by two men.
The victim, named locally as Raymond Salinger, was hit in the head and chest and died at St James' Hospital.
Last Thursday, well-known crime figure Niall Mulvahill was shot dead at the wheel of his taxi in the centre of Dublin.
Mr Rabbitte noted today that official police figures registered a 93 per cent increase in violent assaults last year. Joyriding was at "epidemic levels" in Dublin and elsewhere. The Labour leader continued: "What is he going to do to address this situation?
"The only government action I can see is an offer from Willie O'Dea to mediate among the warring gangs in Limerick - an idea which is not without its attractions.
"Other than that kind of tomfoolery, what is the Taoiseach prepared to do to prevent a situation where crime bosses think they can kill at will and with impunity and what is he prepared to do to ensure these people are brought to justice?"
Mr Ahern insisted his government had brought stringent legislation before the Dail aimed at cutting crime levels and had set out to increase police levels.
However he admitted while the levels of police detection in most murders were good, they were not as successful in dealing with organised crime killings. "The reality is, and I think Deputy Rabbitte knows this, unfortunately we are up against very sophisticated gangs in some cases which are highly equipped," the Taoiseach said.
"The only way to break those gangs is heavy resources, specialised units. The precise answer to your question is that the government has to continue to resource these special units and make them available in the areas they are trying to break these gangs.
"Normal Garda activities, normal surveillance activities will not break these gangland activities that you are saying. We have to target resources into particular areas and this is what the minister (for Justice Mr McDowell) is doing.
"That means, at times, pulling resources from other areas."