THE SIGHT OF armed gardaí on the streets of the capital is set to become more commonplace as the Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald today pledged a new armed unit to specifically respond to gangland crime in Dublin.
It comes after two gangland murders in the space of just three days.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny also added that specialist gardaí will be given whatever guns they say they need to take on gangland criminals.
Members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit were visible in Dublin this afternoon:
Temporary armed measures have been put in place for now and the intention is to make this a permanent initiative. The new unit will comprise 55 gardaí in total, the Justice Minister said.
This new package of measures will be supported by an initial allocation of an additional €5 million for the garda budget.
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