At last they are tackling killer gangs.IT is not before time this Government got tough with the country's gangland criminals. Justice Minister Dermot Ahern Dermot Christopher Ahern (Irish: Diarmuid Ó Eachthairn, or Diarmuid Ó hEichiarn; born 2 February, 1955) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician who currently serves as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. deserves credit for this belated move to take these gangsters off the streets. It must be remembered that the present administration came to power in 1997, promising zero tolerance The policy of applying laws or penalties to even minor infringements of a code in order to reinforce its overall importance and enhance deterrence. Since the 1980s the phrase zero tolerance has signified a philosophy toward illegal conduct that favors strict imposition of of organised crime. Instead of action, Mr Ahern's predecessors refused to face down the gangsters and this failure resulted in hundreds of violent deaths. In Limerick, the criminals became so brazen they began to threaten gardai and court officials and routinely intimidated witnesses to prevent them testifying. Only when the very fabric of society was threatened did the Government decide to act. The brutal killings of Roy Collins, Brian Fitzgerald Brian Fitzgerald (born March 1 1947) is an Irish Independent politician. He was a Labour Party Teachta Dála for Meath from 1992 to 1997. Previously a trade union official with SIPTU, Fitzgerald was elected to Dáil Éireann for Meath during the swing to Labour in the 1992 and Shane Geoghegan proved that every citizen of this state ran the risk of being murdered in the street. Hopefully these new laws will finally put the gangsters where they belong - behind bars. It is just a pity that good people like Roy, Brian and Shane had to pay with their lives before they are brought in. |
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