Ahern praises Traffic Corps for tackling road 'carnage'

The Garda Traffic Corps is making a difference in addressing the carnage on Irish roads, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Dáil today.

The Garda Traffic Corps is making a difference in addressing the carnage on Irish roads, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Dáil today.

Up to 150 people have so far died on the roads in 2006.

Fourteen have already died in the first eight days of May and eight of these deaths occurred within 24 hours last weekend.

Replying to Opposition questions on the Garda’s Annual Report, Mr Ahern told the Dáil: “With regard to traffic offences, because we now have a dedicated traffic corps of several hundred on the streets every day, there has been a substantial increase in the detection of crime in this area.

“That is to be welcomed by all of us who wish to see an end to the carnage on the roads, whether caused by drink driving offences, insurance offences or other factors. Detection in all these categories has substantially increased.”

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the Garda’s Annual Report showed that promises made by the Government to make people safer in their homes, communities and businesses were already reneged upon.

“The reality is that crime is up and detection is down. Homicides are up from 98 in 2004 to 155 in 2005. Every week there are more than 1,000 thefts, amounting to 56,000 last year.

“In every one of the ten headline categories of crime the detection rate in 2005 was lower than in 2000 where similar figures are available.

“That means there is a lower detection rate of homicides, assaults, sexual offences, thefts, burglaries and robberies. There are ten categories within which to measure the Government’s performance, amounting to ten failures.”

Mr Kenny said the Government had deceived the public several times on its pledges to combat crime.

He added: “Is it not a fact that as a consequence of this our country is in many ways a much less civilised place in which to live? It is the responsibility of Government to deal with the issue of crime.”

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