asked the Minister for Justice if he will state the names, ages and experience of Gardaí officers in charge of investigations of alleged murders and other such serious crimes.
38.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Investigation of Alleged Murders.
37.
asked the Minister for Justice if it is proposed to request assistance from the London C.I.D. in relation to four alleged murders in the State.
39.
asked the Minister for Justice whether he is aware of public uneasiness and lack of confidence in the Gardaí on account of the fact that the persons responsible have not yet been brought to justice in respect of four recent alleged murders; and if he will make a statement on the matter, indicating whether a review of the Garda structure will be undertaken to ascertain whether a higher degree of efficiency is attainable in solving crime.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to answer Questions Nos. 37 to 39 together.
The four murders, referred to by the Deputy as recent, go back to 1946. Beginning with that year, I am glad to be able to inform the House that in the 12 years ended 31st December last, 52 out of 54 murders have been cleared up by the Garda Siochana.
Three of the four murders referred to by the Deputy occurred within the last two years and one of them occurred only a matter of a few weeks ago. All three are still the subject of active police inquiry and none of them is regarded as closed.
The officers in charge of investigations of particular murders or other serious crimes are, of course, the chief superintendent and superintendent for the area concerned, assisted in appropriate cases in the technical aspects by the technical bureau attached to Garda Headquarters. Since this system has achieved, in relation to murders, a degree of success of over 96 per cent. I see no justification for the suggestion that it ought to be changed.
Is the Minister aware that there is a good deal of public uneasiness that three murders during the past few years remain unsolved and is he in a position to say that the Garda authorities contemplate with any degree of confidence an early solution of these crimes?
I have no doubt that what the Deputy says may be correct but I do not propose to intervene in a matter that is so highly technical and is still under investigation by people whom we must regard as experts in that type of work.
Would the Minister agree that there is a certain lack of cooperation from the public in these matters?
We need all the cooperation we can get.