McAleese leads condemnation of Garda shooting
President Mary McAleese today led condemnation of the shooting of an unarmed Garda officer in the centre of Dublin.
She praised the garda's bravery following reports the traffic officer stopped a silver car shortly after 9am before a man stepped from the vehicle and opened fire with a shotgun.
Opposition parties branded the shooting an attack on the State after claims the gang may have been on its way to stage a robbery.
"Once again we see the risks which members of An Garda Síochána are exposed to in the line of duty and the enormous bravery they demonstrate in responding to those challenges," said the President.
Mrs McAleese said she had spoken to Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy to pass on her hope the officer will make a swift recovery.
The shooting was also condemned by Finian Fallon, whose father Garda Richard Fallon was shot dead during an armed raid on a bank in central Dublin in 1970.
"This was an cowardly attack on an unarmed, brave garda," he said.
"My thoughts are with the garda's family after this horrific incident."
Fine Gael's justice spokesman Charles Flanagan expressed his horror at the shooting.
"This is a shocking incident in which a brave garda was shot simply for doing his duty," he said.
"It demonstrates the scale of the menace to the State and to innocent citizens posed by organised gangland crime.
"These criminals believe they are untouchable."
"But the situation is now so bad that frontline gardaí are also regarded as legitimate targets by lethal criminals, even unarmed members of the Garda Traffic Corps."
He called for an urgent programme of action from the Government deal with gun crime.
The Labour Party's Joe Costello said the shooting of a garda was a direct challenge to the authority of the State.
"Gangland crimes continue to rise unchecked across our capital city and we must put an end put to the use of guns in our society," he said.
"The full force of the state must, in the public interest, be brought down on such criminals in order to free our society of them.
"The Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner must now put together a task force to specifically tackle this and to take the gun away from the criminal.
"This cheap regard for life has become a facet of our society in these times cannot be tolerated."
The Garda Representative Association (GRA), which is made up of rank-and-file officers, condemned the shooting as a cowardly and despicable act.
GRA president John Egan said the attack highlighted the dangers faced by gardaí in carrying out their daily duties to protect the public.
"This incident illustrates the increasing level of gun crime in our towns and cities and the inherent dangers to our members and the public," he said.
"The shooting is a callous, cowardly and despicable act carried out by people who have no respect for human life.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the garda concerned and his family."
