Role of special Garda units stressed

The only way the two Limerick brothers abducted last week would be found was with the Garda dog unit, according to the Taoiseach.

Mr Ahern, defending the Government's record on dealing with overall crime and the efforts to find the two brothers, Kieran and Eddie Ryan, said that all the necessary resources were being made available.

The Army, the Garda air-support unit and specialist units, including the dog unit, had been involved for several days.

When some TDs laughed at the reference to the dog unit, Mr Ahern said deputies should not "sneer" because it was "very important in trying to find these young men".

He added that "the only way the young men will be found at this stage, unfortunately, is with the dog unit. That is the regrettable part."

He was responding to the Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, who condemned the Government's record on crime, and said Dublin was now "more deadly than London" because of the 62 homicides last year.

At least eight of them were gangland killings, and nobody had been charged with any of these killings. "Joyriding" was at epidemic levels, and the level of assaults rose by 93 per cent.

The only Government action appeared to be "an offer from the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dea, to mediate among the warring gangs in Limerick, an idea not without its attractions".

Apart from this "tomfoolery, what does the Taoiseach intend to do to prevent a situation where crime bosses think they can kill at will and with impunity".

He said if the Government's repose was to send Mr O'Dea on radio to address the situation five years after a Minister "came to office beating the drum of zero tolerance, it must be the sickest most cynical joke in Irish politics in recent years".

Mr Ahern said the Labour leader knew "we are up against very sophisticated gangs which are in some cases very well equipped. The only way to break up those gangs is with heavy resources deployed by specialised units. It is difficult and specialised work."

The Government would continue to resource the units and make them available. "We have to target our resources into particular areas, and that was what the Minister for Justice was doing."