Stop-and-search law ‘not enough’ to tackle stabbings

www.independent.ie

GARDAI now have greater powers to stop and search people for knives under new laws introduced just last month.

Following a spate of stabbings around the country, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern was urged last night to take steps to combat knife crimes.

Senior garda investigators have begun a detailed review of the violent crime across Co Mayo during the past week.

But Mr Ahern pointed to new laws enacted last month, the Criminal Justice Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, which tightens up the law in this area.

The penalty for carrying a knife without good reason in a public area has increased from one to five years.

The legislation also grants extensive powers of search without a warrant, where a garda has reasonable grounds to believe someone is carrying any dangerous article, including knives, for unlawful purposes.

“Obviously it’s a very worrying turn of events. This is something which, particularly the use of knives, we have been keeping a very close eye on,” the minister said.

But Fine Gael justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan said legislation alone will not deal adequately with the issue and needs to be accompanied by appropriate resources.

Mr Flanagan said a co-ordinated response is needed across government departments and involving the community at large.

“Public meetings aimed at parents and teachers are important and necessary for communities who are particularly affected by knife crime. The gardai alone cannot get the message across to young men carrying knives. Read full article…

Related posts:

1. Scouts to no longer bring penknives on camping trips www.telegraph.co.uk Scouts will now be a little worse prepared...
2. Stop and search powers being used on children as young as two www.dailymail.co.uk Children as young as two are being stopped...
3. Australia – Police to have power to strip-search at random www.theage.com.au POLICE will soon have sweeping powers to search...
4. Surveillance evidence to be allowed in court Covert surveillance material would be admitted as evidence in criminal...
5. Ireland may censor Dublin sex abuse report www.irishcentral.com Ahern says publication could impact pending court cases...
6. Guantanamo inmates for Ireland www.irishtimes.com Two former detainees of the US’s Guantanamo Bay...
7. Ahern stresses need for new powers MINISTER FOR Justice Dermot Ahern stressed the need for...
8. Stop and search powers illegal, European court rules Judges in Strasbourg say UK powers under Terrorism Act...
9. Gardaí set to get pepper spray www.breakingnews.ie Gardaí will begin to be armed with pepper...
10. Gardaí raid offices of Anglo Irish Bank in Dublin Gardaí from the Bureau of Fraud Investigation have begun a...