Nineteen of the State's 42 homicides so far this year have involved firearms compared with 10 for all of last year, the Garda Commissioner, Mr Noel Conroy, has said.
He also said securing convictions based on Garda intelligence was "a problem" and that limited resources meant it was difficult to mount surveillance operations, which required "six or seven" officers for each suspect targeted.
Mr Conroy yesterday told the joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice that an influx of non- nationals in recent years had resulted in the Republic's crime scene becoming more "trans-national" than ever.
Many gangs were not merely drug-traffickers but were also involved in smuggling, counterfeiting and forgery, and money- laundering. Some of the gangs were also involved in human trafficking.
The Garda's recent Operation Quest, whichtargeted lap dancing clubs, was not aimed at securing prosecutions against women. "On the contrary we are trying to protect these unfortunate young women," he said.
"Many thought that they were coming to take up jobs within the EU but that didn't happen and they were put into prostitution," Mr Conroy said. Once involved in prostitution many had been moved around the EU "at a very fast rate".
A small number of Irish criminals were also now based in southern Spain and Holland, from where they exported drugs to Ireland, he said. These criminals had built up extensive underworld contacts in the countries where they currently reside.
Serious crime in Ireland was now also characterised by the involvement of many former paramilitary figures, and arms used by paramilitaries had found their way into the hands of organised criminals, Mr Conroy said.
Guns were also being imported into the State with hauls of cigarettes and drugs.
In 2001 there were 58 homicides - 52 murders and six man slaughters - of which 51 were detected. In 2002 there were 59 homicides - 52 murders and seven man slaughters - 49 of which have been detected. And to date in 2003 the homicide rate is 42 - including 39 murders and three manslaughters - of which 24 have been detected.
Suspects had been identified for many of the murders committed this year and the chances of securing prosecutions were good. In Limerick city and its environs a very substantial Garda operation had been mounted this year, no resources had been spared and gardai were "meeting with some success," he said.
Mr Conroy added Operation Lance had been established in Dublin in February and involved a team of gardaí targeting serious crime and firearms offences, which had already resulted in a number of men being brought before the courts. And Operation Crossover, established in September to detect the unlawful carriage of arms, involved members of the Special Detective Unit and Emergency Response Unit focusing on known flashpoints.
Mr Conroy said he believes the establishment of a DNA database would prove a useful weapon in the fight against organised crime.
"We are confident that it will come in due course and will help, in no small way, to deal with organised crime and gangland killings". However, he cautioned that prosecutions against gangland figures were difficult to achieve, particularly when resources were limited.
"We are targeting individuals and we know who they are, but getting the evidence is something different than knowing, that's our problem. We just can't convert the intelligence into prosecutions and that is the problem... we can't change that".
