Give the gardaí all the resources they need

BACK in the bad old days when IRA terrorists were running riot on this part of the island, no expense was spared in bringing them to justice.

It was exactly the same when Veronica Guerin, whose 22nd anniversary falls tomorrow, was murdered in cold blood. Garda bosses were given everything they needed to smash the gang responsible and ensure that the suspects faced trial.

And as the murderous feud between the Kinahan and Hutch criminal factions escalated in the most dramatic fashion, extra resources were made available to keep the streets as safe as possible.

It hardly needs to be spelt out that this was the correct and proper thing to do. Prior to that, we had seen Garda overtime slashed and more than 100 police stations across the country being closed down. But the plain fact of the matter is that special circumstances require special measures.

So far as this newspaper can see, we are now facing another such situation. The brutal murder of Adam Muldoon, a homeless man with special needs, is in itself shocking enough.

But it comes after three other particularly gruesome killings in recent weeks. First came the death of schoolgirl Anna Kriegel, 14, in west Dublin last month.

Only a matter of days after her remains were found, 18-year-old student Cameron Reilly was found dead in a Co. Louth field. In between, Jastine Valdez was abducted in broad daylight near her home in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, and murdered shortly afterwards.

It is difficult in the circumstances to avoid the conclusion that there is a disturbing new phenomenon of extreme violence, much of it relating to the younger generation. Though there is no link between these killings, there is a trend of extreme violence and the causes will no doubt be teased out by psychologists in the months to come.

But that is for the future. There can be absolutely no excuse in the short term for scrimping on resources for An Garda Síochána.

If there is a new trend of violent crime emerging – and all the signs suggest that there is – then the national police force must be given every necessary resource to address it. Our political leaders need to remember that gangland crime isn’t the only threat to law-abiding members of society.