Rate of solving gun murders defended

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has defended the Garda's record on solving gun murders after it was revealed that almost 85 per cent of these killers are escaping conviction.

"I am informed by the Garda authorities that murders involving the use of firearms tend to have lower conviction rates than other murders. This is not unique to Ireland."

Mr McDowell added that last year had seen the lowest level of murders and manslaughters, at 45, for 10 years despite the Republic's population increasing by 400,000 during the same period.

He made his comments in a reply to a parliamentary question from Labour's spokesman on justice Joe Costello.

The reply revealed that since the beginning of 1998, 83 murders involving the use of firearms have been recorded by gardaí. However, convictions have been secured in just 14 cases. Even when gardaí believe they have identified the killer in a gun murder and a criminal trial ensues, the accused has a very good chance of beating the charges.

Since the beginning of 1998, gardaí detected 39 of the 83 gun murders committed; that is, they believed they had identified the killer in 39 cases. Of these, criminal proceedings were taken in 30 cases. However, when the 30 cases went to court, convictions were secured in just 14 cases.

This means gardaí have had a 17 per cent success rate in securing convictions against those responsible for all gun murders since the beginning of 1998.

News that so many armed murderers are escaping conviction comes in the same week that gardaí in Dublin launched Operation Anvil in an effort to crack down on armed criminals and organised crime gangs.

The Government has made available €6.5 million for the new campaign. The funding will allow for 5,000 extra hours of overtime to be channelled into the operation. Operation Anvil will involve hundreds of gardaí and detectives from around the city, and from national units such as the Emergency Response Unit, the Criminal Assets Bureau, the National Bureau of Fraud Investigation and the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Mr Costello said the public could have no confidence in a Minister who seemed satisfied with the gun-murder conviction rate of recent years.

International comparisons were "not relevant" because Ireland was a small island nation, and it should be easier to control gun crime here than in much larger societies.

"In 2003 there were 20 murders involving firearms and yet just one conviction was secured. That's pretty serious because those cases are now closed; gardaí won't be revisiting them.

"We may currently have a drive to clamp down on gun crime but there is no indication that additional funds will be available to allow this continue into the long term."

Not all detected murders go to trial. It is at the discretion of the Director of Public Prosecutions to decide if there is sufficient evidence to press charges.