The Director of Public Prosecutions is to be given a direct role in opposing bail applications by suspected serious criminals, under proposals to go to the Cabinet today.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell, is to present a package of measures to ministerial colleagues this morning, following a spate of gangland killings in the last fortnight.
Currently, the DPP is involved in dealing with bail applications on some occasions, but he is now to be given the lead role in dealing with all serious cases.
Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy and Deputy Commissioner Fachtna Murphy briefed Mr McDowell and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday on the situation. Afterwards Mr McDowell said some of the measures to go before the Cabinet were "capable of fairly rapid implementation", although others "will take a further amount of time".
"What we want to do is to have a green light for every possible step to be taken that is within our power to confront these very evil people. And they are very evil people".
The two senior Garda officers gave Mr Ahern and Mr McDowell a detailed briefing on gangland violence, those believed to be involved and the Garda Síochána's response to the threat.
The Government is also intent on cutting the length of time it takes to bring suspected serious criminals to court by deploying extra staff to prepare court documents more quickly. The DPP's office is to get extra staff and the Government will make another effort to recruit civilians to carry out some Garda tasks.
Meanwhile, the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) demanded that gangland bosses be jailed by the non-jury Special Criminal Court on the word of a senior Garda officer, as happens in IRA cases.
"It is now time to put the criminal justice system firmly on the side of victims and their families - like the families of Anthony Campbell and Alan Cunniffe - and to ensure that hardened criminals are put behind bars where they belong," said AGSI's general secretary, Joe Dirwan.
Demanding greatly increased State spending, Mr Dirwan warned that drug criminals have now teamed up with former republican paramilitaries : "It is time for the criminal justice system to gear up and respond in a firm way in the defence of our society."
Sharply criticising Mr McDowell, the leader of the Labour party, Pat Rabbitte, said he had utterly failed to implement the 2001 Garda civilianisation report. "There are still far too many trained Garda personnel carrying out clerical and other non-core duties," he said.
