The Government will next year consider "drastic" measures such as the use of the Special Criminal Court if current gangland crime trends continue, Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan has said.
He made his comments after the publication of Central Statistics Office (CSO) year-to-date crime figures revealed significant increases in murder, gun crime, drug dealing and assaults.
Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy is to meet with a ministerial delegation next week, led by the Taoiseach and Mr Lenihan, to discuss the latest trends.
While the incidence of headline, or serious, crime has marginally decreased in the 12 months to September 30th, the crime rate increased by 3 per cent in the third quarter of this year.
Categories associated with organised crime recorded many of the biggest increases.
Mr Lenihan conceded six out of seven gangland murders go unsolved. But he said stronger legislative provisions introduced this year, which include a range of new offences and more mandatory sentences, would yield results in time.
"It's not satisfactory that so many are terrified of giving evidence, that people are reluctant to give information to the gardaí when there is a gun murder," Mr Lenihan said.
However, the recent increase in the murder rate was not attributable to the gun murders associated with gangland crime. Many were domestic killings and were being solved. People should examine the facts around gun murders before making "wild comments".
He said while a suggestion by Fine Gael spokesman on justice Charlie Flanagan regarding 24-hour surveillance being placed on gang members had merit, gardaí were already relentlessly pursuing organised gangs.
The legislature would review the use of the Special Criminal Court for gangland figures but this entailed serious constitutional and legal issues.
"Let's see what happens in the next year. I think gardaí deserve that period at least to get on with the job."
Mr Flanagan said the crime figures revealed an emergency situation, with people now living in fear.
"The handful of gang bosses known to the gardaí must be put under intensive and sustained pressure. It is currently all too easy for gangs to operate with impunity."
Labour's spokesman on justice Pat Rabbitte said the crime figures confirmed "a significant rise over recent months in crime and especially violent crime".
"At the top end of the crime problem we need new measures to target the gangs and put the crime bosses out of business and behind bars. At local level we need to re-establish links between the gardaí and local communities."
The CSO figures revealed there were 48 murders in the Republic in the first three quarters of the year compared with 42 in the same period last year.
The murder rate in the third quarter jumped by 50 per cent; to 21 cases compared with 14 in the same period last year. However, gun murders to date number 17, the same level as last year.
Murder "attempts and threats" rose to 51 in the third quarter compared with 19 in the same period last year, a near three-fold increase.
In the 12 months to September 30th there were 156 incidents of murder "threats or attempts" compared with 101 in the previous corresponding period, an increase of 55 per cent.
The total number of homicide-related offences almost doubled in the third quarter, with 73 offences recorded compared with 38 in the third quarter of last year. Homicide-related offences include murders, manslaughters and murder and manslaughter attempts.
In the 12 months to September 30th the incidence of offences fell in many categories. These include: sexual offences down 8.1 per cent; thefts down 0.4 per cent; burglaries down 10 per cent; robberies down 9 per cent.
